Forbidden
by Evil Little Angel
Summary: Betrayal among the Akatsuki leaves Itachi dying in a tent outside Konoha, and his secret's dying with him. There seems to be no hope for Itachi, but perhaps all is not lost. When two bitter enemies step in, can something else bloom from this evil deed?
1. Traitor from the Mist

**Disclaimer: Shocking as it may seem, I am not the Naruto creator. Wow, what a surprise.**

**Pairing: Like I'm going to give it away…**

**A/N: This is my very first pairing fiction; it was originally part of a very complicated story I had made, but I realized that I had too many separate storylines and no way to tie them together. This is one of those storylines.**

**Keep n mind that this may get very angsty. If you don't like that sort of thing, then you should definitely not read this. But if you enjoy a good angsty romance, by all means, enjoy.**

**FORBIDDEN**

Just outside of Konoha lay Itachi and Kisame's temporary camp. The criminal pair had their orders; they were to return to Konoha for their next mission. The leader had not yet told them what they were to do, and Itachi lay nervously in the tent. He knew his younger brother had left Orochimaru; what would happen if he had returned to Konoha and they ran into each other?

As though reading his thoughts, Kisame turned to look at Itachi.

"It'll all be fine." he promised, and then turned over to face the other direction. But everything would not be fine. He, Kisame, would see to that.

Little did Itachi know, there was no mission. Kisame had feigned communicating with the leader to lure Itachi to Konoha. The possible presence of his brother and the memories of his past were sure to have Itachi on edge, so he would be at a greater disadvantage when he was ambushed. But then again, Kisame was sure that his attack would go smoothly. After all, no Akatsuki member would expect to be attacked by their own partner. Kisame snorted. The others didn't know what it was like to have Itachi as a partner.

Kisame was ten years older then Itachi, but he was treated as if he was just a child. No one seemed to value an experienced shark-man and former mist swordsman over the young, cold genius that was Itachi. He may have been talented, but that didn't change the fact that he was inexperienced and maniacal. Regardless of these facts, the others held him in highest revere, and Kisame came to realize that if he ever wanted to become the Akatsuki Leader, he would have to get Itachi out of the way. With that thought, Kisame shut his eyes and settled down for a few hours of rest.

Kisame woke before dawn. He could hear Itachi's shallow, deep breathing and knew that his partner was still asleep. Perfect. It was time to attack.

Little did Kisame know, but there was another Akatsuki member headed their way. Deidara was sitting atop a giant clay bird, racing across the distant horizon. He too, was on no official mission, but rather, a quest for revenge. He just could not let the matter of his partner's death rest. One of the perpetrators was dead, but one had survived. He could not allow that. That fuchsia-haired girl would pay for Sasori's death with her own life; he would see to that. So now he was barrelling across the countryside, bound for the girl's hometown of Konoha.

Kisame's heart raced, though he was unaware of his nearby criminal comrade. He raised his sword, then paused. No need for such a messy death, after all. A simple kunai would do the trick; Itachi was completely helpless. A pale blue hand rummaged through a pack and emerged clutching a dagger. There was a moment of stillness, then a swift movement, and a scream broke the morning silence.

Itachi's eyes flew open, and for a moment, he did not know what had cased him to wake so suddenly. As soon as this thought had finished crossing his mind, he found himself flooded with pain. After a moment, he identified it as coming from his head. Something warm and sticky was trickling down his face. And there was something else – someone was screaming. Shinobi didn't scream. Who could be making that noise? And where was the pressure in his lungs coming from? Itachi took a deep breath, and the offending wail stopped. Ah. He was the one screaming.

Kisame shut his eyes at the sight of his bleeding companion, and blindly stabbed again. The resulting shriek told him that he had hit his target. Emotion crept up on Kisame and threatened to surface, but he managed to fight it back down. The swordsman may have been a ruthless criminal, but he wasn't so detached that he could easily kill his partner, his companion, his _friend. _It was crucial that Itachi died, but that didn't mean that Kisame wouldn't miss him. It was a very unfortunate dilemma, but Kisame's dreams came first. There was no other way.

Itachi was writhing on the floor of the tent. Blood was gushing down his face, blinding him, choking him as it trickled into his shrieking mouth. He was getting weak and dizzy from lack of blood, but still he clung desperately to consciousness. Something just didn't make sense. He should not be bleeding like this. In fact, he should not be in any sort of pain. No one knew that he and Kisame were here. They hadn't even begun their mission.

Red eyes blinked back the red blood. Red met blue. The red eyes began to change. Kisame. It was Kisame doing this.

If Itachi hadn't had such a horrific past, this utter betrayal would have wounded him deeply. As it was, Itachi had never really had anyone there for him and as a result, he had never learned to form important bonds. Well, he had one, but it wasn't with the treacherous shark-man now going in for another attack.

Itachi's sensitive eyes easily tracked Kisame's attack, but by now, so much of his blood had drained away that moving away was out of the question. The dagger struck Itachi's leg, and another torrent of blood erupted from the fresh wound.

Kisame choked form the thick stench of blood permeating the tent. There was no way that Itachi could survive that. But perhaps he had better be certain that his partner's life would end. The kunai's tip turned to point directly at Itachi's throat. It began to move toward its target in a slow hesitant arc, until a minute flicker of motion stopped it's course. Two red sharingan eyes were looking back at Kisame, and their usual triple pupils were gone in favour of a more ominous pinwheel. The kunai dropped and Kisame's eyes snapped shut. Itachi was awake. If he got caught in that terrible Mangekyou sharingan, it would all be over.

With that, Kisame rose and wheeled around to leave the tent. His work here was finished; the young criminal would not survive the night with that kind of damage. A chilling sputter came from behind him and Kisame resigned himself to a quiet sob. It was over. Kisame let a single tear fall for his terrible deed, and then took off into the dawn.

Itachi lay in one place, feeling his life rapidly slipping away. He knew he must not lose consciousness, or it would all be over, though it was not as if he was going to be rescued. An unfamiliar emotion wracked his hazy brain; Itachi was panicking. This panic was not born of fear for his life; Itachi Uchiha had deliberately set out his own death sentence long ago. But he could not allow himself to end like this. He knew he had been careless, but there was nothing to be done about that now. He just could not bear to let his secret die with him. But like everything else, there seemed to be nothing he could do about that.

All too soon, the sun was setting. More time had passed than Itachi had expected and no help had arrived. By now, it took every bit of energy Itachi had to retain a grip on his mind. But now, as dusk settled in like a looming monster, Itachi had to shut his eyes to sleep. And despite the fact that he knew he would not wake, he had never been more grateful to fall asleep.

**A/N: Told you it was angsty. But just wait. Yes, there will be more chapters. Many more, I hope. Just you wait and see. You know, I'll bet you can figure out what happens next…**

**Give me a review; go on, I'd love to hear what you'd think. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you continue to follow the story. This one's gonna be good... **


	2. Scene of the Crime

**Disclaimer: If I didn't own Naruto last chapter, then I sure don't own it now.**

**A/N: Another chapter, as promised. Enjoy!**

As the last traces of brightness faded from the sky, a girl was walking briskly through the Konoha gates. The wind blew her pink hair into her face, and she took a deep breath of crisp night air. She had a simple task ahead, a short journey to the Wind Country for information, and she planned to enjoy the trip. After all, she could barely remember the last time she had been outside the village's stone walls.

Sakura kept up a quick pace, but still took a good look at her surroundings. The Land of Fire truly was beautiful at night; shadows of leaves and flowers danced and frolicked in the wind. The grassy fields rolled away under Sakura's feet as she marched on. Shadows of birds and night creatures flitted about all around her; then darkness obscured everything. Instinctively, Sakura looked to the moon in time to see the tail end of something seem to cross its surface.

"Maybe an owl" she mused.

Deidara was still sitting atop his bird, swooping silently over the woods and grass, but to no avail. Even his fitted scope couldn't find anything in the dark. He would have to find somewhere to rest, and then continue his search in the morning. He would not be swayed from his objective. That little medic would be beyond healing when he was through with her.

The giant bird was flying lower and lower, until it was just a few feet above the ground. Leaves and debris flew up in the slipstream left behind and gave their flight an audible rustle. Then there was a louder flapping noise. Deidara looked behind them. What on earth could have made that noise? It sounded like some sort of fabric. Maybe, just maybe, it was a campsite; there would be tents, sleeping bags, tarps and laundry lying around. It was a long shot, but if there was any chance at all of finding that damned girl, he would have to take it.

Deidara leapt nimbly from the bird and headed backward, to where the noise had come from. He crouched like some sort of feral predator and was rewarded when he caught sight of a campsite.

"Time to die, un." He muttered to himself, slipping his hand into a pouch full of clay. He continued to creep forward as he chewed and prepared to sneak into the tent; after all, if he murdered innocent people he would have a harder time slipping undetected around the country.

Deidara took a deep breath, then thrust open the tent flap, holding a tiny explosive bird aloft.

At first he thought that he was too late; the person in the tent seemed to already be dead. It was a gory scene that met his eyes. There was a figure, presumably a man, covered in a glistening dark substance that could only be blood. The would-be attacker held his breath and stood very still. A shallow rattling resounded through the tent. So the man was alive, then. Might as well know who the poor guy was, Deidara figured. It took some effort, but he managed to brush the sticky, blood-crusted hair away from his face. After a moment, he realized who he was looking at.

Itachi. It was Itachi. He couldn't believe it. Even though Itachi was definitely present on his list of those to seek revenge upon, he didn't want Itachi to die. It just didn't seem right, that the man who had hunted him down and forced him to join the Akatsuki could be lying there, so vulnerable. And besides, Itachi was his comrade now, and he had come to respect all of the others who wore the treasured rings, most of all the one who had given him his. He just couldn't let Itachi die. But what could he do? Itachi needed a medic-nin, and he as nothing of the sort. This was not something a simple bandage could fix, but he had to try.

His other objective momentarily forgotten, Deidara completed his crude medical care and curled up into a ball in the corner of the tent to fret. If nothing else, he could make sure that Itachi didn't die alone.

Sakura was still thinking about that owl. It looked too big for a normal owl, but what else could it be? Perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her. Regardless, she was headed in the same direction that the mysterious shape had been going. Maybe she would see it.

If she hadn't been looking out for that shape, she wouldn't have seen it. Nestled away, just far enough that she couldn't make it out, was a dark little shape. It didn't look like anything else in her surroundings. Maybe it was something, but maybe it was nothing. She stood still, looking after it, wavering on what to do. Surely a peek couldn't hurt? Then she would know for sure.

Years of training and missions had honed Sakura's night vision, and she had only just set out toward the object when she realized what it was. It was an encampment where there shouldn't have been one. As an apprentice to the Hokage, Sakura knew exactly which ninja was doing what, and where they were, at all times. There were no missions scheduled anywhere outside Konoha in the Land of Fire. At least, none this far away from any urban centres. She had no choice but to investigate.

For the second time that night, the canvas tent flap was brushed aside, and a stranger stumbled into the tent. It was darker here without the moon overhead, and Sakura resorted to fumbling blindly in her pack for some source of light. Her fingers closed over a small piece of round plastic. Her emergency flashlight. The batteries wouldn't last for extended periods of time, but it was perfect for times like this.

There was a young man sprawled on the ground. He was soaked through with blood, and the dark liquid had spilled onto the ground, soaking the canvas floor. A kunai laid blood stained on the ground, incriminating evidence of foul play. Sakura tossed it aside. Various bags and equipment were scattered about the room, but Sakura paid them little mind. Instead, she dashed to the wounded man's side. Smears of blood streaked his face, and it was obvious that some one had tried to clean off his face. Sakura's heart leapt. He looked so much like Sasuke-kun. But Sasuke hadn't been back to the Land of Fire in over three years.

Sakura forced her mind back to the situation at hand. He had a feeble pulse, but a pulse nonetheless She drew out a medical kit from her pack and set to work. First things first, she had to clean off all this blood. With great care, she set to work, uncovering the pale face beneath the gore. Two worry lines creased the stranger's face. Something tweaked Sakura's memory, but she pushed it back. The features were so like Sasuke's that it was hard enough to focus. Under he touch, Sakura could feel his life ebbing. She had to hurry. But maybe it was too late; she could barely tell anymore. Sakura summoned all of her chakra and poured it into the healing. The green glow that normally emanated from her hands was creeping up her wrists and she cried out as she drained herself of stamina.

Finally, Sakura could not stand to lose anymore chakra; she was at her limit. Anything more and she would end up like the man before her. Had it worked? She couldn't be sure. The wounds would have been fatal, in fact, the man was practically dead already. Judging by the state of he congealed blood, they couldn't be fresh wounds either, that made it more difficult. Sakura desperately yanked back an eyelid; her chakra was too depleted even to gauge life.

A red pupil stared back at her. Of course. How could she not have realized?

It was Itachi Uchiha she had just helped. The murderer responsible for Sasuke's anguish was sitting on the brink of death, and she had brought him back. She let go of his face, and the eye blinked, returning to a deep black colour. Itachi was waking up. The healing had not been able to completely heal him, Sakura knew that, but it had been enough to return him to consciousness.

"Hmm." He grunted, before shitting his eyes and beginning to stir. Sakura beamed the lightly wildly around for something to use as a weapon. There was something black and cloud-patterned in the corner – a pack of some sort? Sakura dove toward it, but stopped, her heart in her throat. That could not be a backpack. Backpacks did not have long, blond hair. The thing she had mistaken for a knapsack raised its head and Sakura found herself staring into a face she had never seen before. But it seemed to know her.

"You." Was all it said.

A/N: So, no pairing yet. Well, nothing obvious. You shall have to wait and see. And just to be evil, I left in a cliffhanger. Ooh.

Reviews would be nice. I would like that. Thanks for reading this far!


	3. Itachi's Secret

**Disclaimer: Honestly, did you really think I was the Naruto creator? I think not.**

**A/B: Well, it's time for Itachi's secret. Man, this chapter was hard to come up with. **

Deidara had barely managed to drift into an uneasy sleep when a bright light woke him up. Still groggy, he raised his head, not knowing what to expect. But he'd never thought he'd see his very target standing in front of him.

"You." he growled.

From his spot on the floor, he could only glower up at her. She was pretty, he had to admit that. Her layers of clothes clung to her, and looked moveable, good for combat. Bright pink hair flipped away from her head in spiky strands. Her face was frozen in an expression of unexpected terror. The he remembered Itachi.

"What did you do to Itachi?" he snarled, leaping to his feet. Sakura stumbled backwards, frantically rummaging in her things for a weapon. She had to expected to be fighting, so she hadn't brought many weapons. But she had nothing to fear for the moment; the blonde Akatsuki member was kneeling over his fallen comrade.

Deidara looked down at Itachi in utter amazement. He had expected him to be dead, done in by the kunoichi. Itachi's face revealed otherwise. The blood had been properly cleaned from his face, and when Deidara peeked underneath the fresh bandages, he noticed that the wounds were far less severe. For from healed, but still, it was apparent that the hated girl had been tending to Itachi. Even as he kneeled there, Itachi's eyelids dragged themselves upwards.

"Hmmmnnnn….." he groaned, struggling got sit up. Deidara bodily shoved him back to the ground.

"No sitting." he snapped.

"That's not how you treat a patient, especially someone in his condition!" Sakura cried, her circumstances temporarily forgotten. No matter the situation, her training with Tsunade was too deeply ingrained to ignore.

To Deidara's and her own amazement, Sakura hurried to Itachi's side, nudging Deidara aside, and began to arrange his bedding under him, so that his head was raised.

"Why are you helping him, un?" Deidara asked her, astounded. Sakura stopped.

"I don't know. " she admitted. The she flung herself backwards.

"He murdered the entire Uchiha clan! And, you, you're part of the same organization as him! You're a criminal too!" she accused. Trembling, she drew out the kunai she had managed to find. She was at a ridiculous disadvantage, but with Itachi so weak, she might be able to destroy him, even if it meant his companion would finish her off.

Deidara saw the girl spring into an attack stance, and instinctively did the same. His black cloak whirled about him, and his hands plunged into two leather pouches, one on each hip. Sakura had to admire his reflexes, if nothing else. Then a weak voice broke the tense silence.

"Stop." came a croak from the bed. Both ninjas lowered their weapons and stared at Itachi, who was trying to speak.

"She's right, Deidara." Itachi continues. His voice was horribly raspy, and it obviously pained him to talk. Deidara was obvious of this fact, and argued back.

"She's an enemy, Itachi, un!" he protested. Sakura shushed him, maternal nature getting the better of her again.

"If you attack, you'll blow up the tent." Itachi replied calmly, masking the pain he was in. Deidara had to admit, he had a point. Sakura's face paled in the darkness. Did he just say 'blow up'?

Itachi now turned to face Sakura. He owed her an explanation, if nothing else, for saving his life. It was about time to pass on his secret.

"Sit." he commanded. He tried to gesture to his side, but to no avail; he was not strong enough even for that. Sakura knew better than to upset someone in his condition, and did as she was told. Deidara also complied.

Itachi took a deep breath and stared at the people above him. Hm. Maybe not who he would have chosen to entrust with his deepest secret, but he had little choice. He tried to begin, but something cool was slipping down his throat. The girl seemed to be giving him water. Deidara looked quizzically at the despised girl.

"If he wants to talk." she murmured, taking back her canteen. Itachi cleared his throat and began his explanation.

"The Uchihas are not a particularly old Konoha clan. As most people realize, we were once one of the Hyuuga clan's branches. Generations ago, one man was angry at his lower status and began to experiment with his own kekkai genkai. He wasn't content with the Byakugan; he wanted his eyes to be a more effective weapon. After many trails, he managed to get the effect he wanted, but it was far from perfect. By focusing all his possible field of vision, he was able to create a supersensitive image contained in his normal field of vision. Bu there was a consequence. The power of the Byakugan was not meant to be contained like that, and as a result, his eyes began to deteriorate. After a while, he was completely blind.

But the blindness did not come until later. First, he used his newfound "Sharingan" to slaughter his family, and began to go after other branch members of the Hyuuga clan. As he killed, he began to change. His eyes coloured red like the blood, and he became increasingly violent, with no direction in life. Eventually, he murdered his best friend, out of sheer boredom, and discovered that the adrenaline increased his powers tenfold."

Itachi stopped, lost in memory, before answering the unspoken questions.

"How you ever seen an elder with Sharingan?" he asked. Deidara and Sakura shook their heads.

"There lies the clan's best-kept secret. Without the blood of family and friends, the Sharingan grows restless. Even after all these years, the animosity of that first Uchiha lives on in the Sharingan. So, when the Uchiha's sanity starts to slip, and he gives in to the Sharingan, the other members of the clan destroy them." he explained. Sakura gasped, and Deidara looked solemn.

"When…when I killed my entire clan…" Itachi choked ,"I had a purpose. The clan were all too close to the same age, their time was coming, and if their minds lost to the Sharingan, there would have been no stopping them. The Hyuuga clan, as well as most of the other ninja clans, would have perished. So I did what was necessary. I ended the clan."

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura whispered. Itachi laughed humourlessly, and it grated on his throat.

"That was par of the plan. If I could find a way to undo the Sharingan, I could save the clan. It was too late for my clan, but my brother and myself… I did what I had to. The blood of my family will sustain my Sharingan for years."

"You…" Sakura started to accuse, but Itachi shook his head.

"I didn't do it for my own survival. I left my brother alive, and did not tell him of my intentions. As a result, he has grown up with hatred of me." Itachi sounded sad at the mention of his younger brother, then continued ,"My crimes have given him a reason for living. If he completes that ultimate goal, I hope that the sheer magnitude of that accomplishment will overwhelm the Sharingan, and release it's power. Sasuke will be left with a harmless set of Byakugan eyes, and the Sharingan will have died with me."

Sakura gasped, and even Deidara looked shocked. Itachi was not the ruthless killer he had led everyone to believe. He had given up everything, just for the one hope that his brother could be saved. Sakura sat in silence for a moment, but there was no real choice to me made. S-ranked criminal or not, she was going to save Itachi.

Deidara was also silent. Itachi had had an honourable purpose all along. So what was he? A rouge terrorist, living to destroy. He would not allow Itachi to die. He respected him too much to allow that to happen. Deidara cast a glance at the girl next to him. He was no medic; he could not do this alone.

"Un…so, will you help me?" he asked, almost sheepishly. Sakura did not need to ask what he was talking about.

"We will save him."

**A/N: Wow, that was the longest chapter I've ever done. Not bad, I think. We've got two Akatsuki members and a medic in a tent, and no pairing in sight yet. It's coming. And so is a lot of angst.**

**If you read it to this point, I thank you. Take a few seconds to review, please. It's what keeps me writing. **


	4. A Beginning

**Disclaimer: I can think of a clever way to say that I don't on Naruto. I just don't own it, ok?**

**A/N: My god, these chapters are tricky, I just don't know how to begin them sometimes. Well, here goes:**

From that moment onward, there was an unspoken pact between the unlikely allies. As much as he wanted to blow her to smithereens, Deidara needed Sakura's help if Itachi was to be saved. He would be working with the enemy. Great.

Sakura was stunned. What had she just agreed to? She was giving up everything to save the life of an S-rank criminal, in the company of a strange…man, woman, something…that had just tried to attack her.

"I don't like you, un." Deidara told her, just to clarify things.

"I don't like you either." she retorted ,"Now I need to sleep to get my chakras back. Watch over Itachi, and if you kill me, Itachi dies too."

Deidara grumbled. He hated being told what to do, and here he was, taking orders from a bossy little girl, no less. In spite of this, he sat down next to Itachi to keep watch over him. The Uchiha had exhausted himself with his explanation, and had fallen fast asleep. Deidara sighed; he was in for a long, boring night.

Sakura did not sleep long. Brutal training with Tsunade had taught her not to waste any time when a patient's life was at stake. Without a word to Deidara, she chomped on a soldier pill from her pack and set to work. Yesterday she had gone after the most serious wound, the deep gouge I his head. Today, she was more concerned about the gash in his side. It was deep, but had missed doing any real damage to his internal organs. This was good.

Deidara watched Sakura while she worked. Her face was set in a mask of utter concentration; every move she made was precise and looked so easy when she did it. It reminded him of Sasori. Bitter hatred flooded back to him as he remembered what the girl had taken from him. But somehow, his loathing didn't seem as potent. It was harder to hate someone who treated her work as art, like she did.

Sakura sat back on her heels, exhausted again. The wounds were severe, and without a medical team, there was a long road to recovery ahead. For the first time, she turned to face her newfound companion.

"Hello." she said bluntly. Deidara looked surprised.

"I don't know your name." she told him bluntly, Deidara was taken aback.

"It's…it's Deidara." he stammered.

"Oh. Okay. I'm Haruno Sakura." came her reply.

"un." her replied.

"So what's your story?" she pressed.

"What?" Deidara asked, not fully understanding what she was driving at.

"Itachi had a story. What about you?"

Deidara snorted, "Listen, I'm part of the Akatsuki, un. We don't all have noble missions; we're just criminals."

"But why are you a criminal? And why did you join the Akatsuki." Sakura insisted. Deidara heaved a sigh. There would be no getting around her. Oh well, he was going to kill her anyways, she may as well know about his pathetic life.

" I was born in Iwagakure." He began, lifting up his bangs to show the scratched-out symbol on his headband. " I belonged to an old ninja clan there, un. My…unique abilities got me through the ninja training, and I became a genin at a young age, and a chuunin soon after."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen." he mumbled. His age was something he generally hid," But I left the village before I could test to become a jounin, un."

"Why?"

Deidara chuckled to himself, "Honestly?"

Sakura nodded, captivated.

"I got bored." Deidara laughed. Sakura couldn't help but grin at his expression, like a child who knows he is up to no good.

"I became a terrorist bomber for hire, un" he elaborated, egged on my Sakura's amusement. The grin disappeared from her face.

"And the Akatsuki?" she asked. Deidara also stopped grinning.

"I didn't join, un. That one there," he gestured to Itachi, still fast asleep, " hunted me down and forced me into joining. They wanted my clan trait."

Sakura looked quizzical. Deidara shoved his hands behind him, embarrassed.

"Forget it." he said, as she opened her mouth to ask. Sakura fixed him with her characteristic glare. Deidara looked sheepish.

"Fine." he mumbled ,"But don't say anything about it."

With those endearing words, he held out his hands, palm up. Sakura's eyes widened in amazement.

There was a perfect mouth set into each palm. Sakura gasped; she had never seen anything like it before. She took one of his hands in both of hers, drawn in by curiosity. The mouth on it smiled in response. A giggle escaped her, and the hand's owner laughed along with her. The Itachi coughed horribly and the moment was ruined.

"hmm." grunted Itachi as he tried to sit up. Deidara raised and arm to flatten him to the floor, but Sakura threw him a look and he stopped abruptly. Sakura gently propped Itachi up.

"Are you hungry?" she prompted, carefully taking his pulse. Itachi only nodded, and Sakura beckoned Deidara over. He came without any argument and listened closely as Sakura explained how to properly feed Itachi.

"Where are you going, un?" he asked urgently as she stood to leave the tent.

"There are herbs about the surrounding area that will be useful. Besides, I need to wash." she explained, disdainfully eyeing the red smears that stained her hands. Deidara nodded swiftly and Sakura slipped through the tent flap

"he's not so bad after all." she mused, thinking of Deidara. Then her thoughts turned abruptly back to their patient. Itachi. He was the one remaining hope of saving her Sasuke. She would remember that notion, cling to it, if ever she questioned what she was doing. She must not give up on Sasuke.

Back in the tent, Deidara absently-mindedly fed Itachi his breakfast. In any other circumstance, he would have relished have Itachi so defenceless and vulnerable. Instead, his mind was dancing with thoughts of the girl. Sakura, she had said. She was so like Sasori; her dedication to her work and her desire to teach others matched his so closely she would never know. But this time, thoughts of his partner did not send him into a murderous rage. In fact, Deidara had just about made up his mind.

He would not kill Sakura.

**A/N: Wow, there was been a lot less romantic content than I originally intended. That shall all change. I supposed most of you have figured it out by now…**

**Review please! I would greatly appreciate anything you have to say.**


	5. Thunderstorm

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Yet. **

**A/N: In this backward little part of Canada, we start school in the last week of August. So my updates may not be as frequent from now on.**

And so it went on the next few days. Deidara and Sakura slept in shifts, and cared for Itachi, who was healing nicely. The wounds had been stubborn and very near fatal, but they managed to pull him through. He was sitting up, feeding himself and he could even talk comfortably (when he felt like it).

Itachi's first steps were a milestone to them all. When Sakura had determined he was strong enough, Deidara had picked up Itachi and slung him over his shoulder, ignoring Itachi's protests; he was rewarded by a peal of Sakura's laughter.

Through the nursing process, Sakura and Deidara had gradually buried their animosity toward each other. The little laughs and joys they found in day-to-day life increased, and soon they found themselves openly enjoying each other's company, though neither of them would admit it. But things started to change when Itachi was ready to walk.

"Come to papa." Deidara taunted as Itachi hung limply from Sakura's arms. With a great effort, he rose to his own feet, tottered forward, and collapsed on Deidara. At first, he grumbled and seriously considered biting Itachi with his extra mouths, but abruptly lost track of what he was doing when gentle female laughter rang in his ears.

Deidara could no longer deny it. As badly as he wanted to avenge his partner's death, he could not bring himself to destroy this extraordinary woman. She was so much like Sasori, it would be ironic to kill her; and besides, there was just something about her.

Sakura watched her newfound ally struggle under Itachi's weight. She had been trying not to laugh at his antics, but it was no use; even his most unintentional actions could force a giggle from her. She almost regretted this; she would miss this boy when it come time to part. But she could not lose sight of her objective. Sakura did not let her thoughts stray from Sasuke for too long. The memory of his dark hair in the wind, or his black eyes looking into hers was enough to fade the criminal boy from her mind.

When Itachi had finally exhausted himself, Sakura decided to bring an end to the day's walking exercises, and had Deidara carry him back inside, where he fell asleep almost instantly.

"Er, you want me to do first watch, un?" Deidara asked as Sakura prepared to settle in for the night. She glanced up at his question.

"No, there's no need. Itachi's not in danger of dying during the night." she replied. Deidara said nothing for a moment, then also began to settle in. Once again, all was still, and he heard a shuffling movement that told him Sakura had rolled over to face his back. Without thinking, he too rolled over to face her.

Sakura stared into his pale eyes, both green and blue at the same time. 'They were so unlike Sasuke's' was the first thought in her head. But he couldn't hear her thoughts; he was just staring at her. She would have to say something.

"So…why did you try to kill me when we first met?" Sakura blurted out. She had been meaning to ask him this, but hadn't intended to be so blunt about asking. Too late now.

The voice that replied seemed quiet and frail. "You killed my partner."

Memories of a red-headed man dressed in an identical black and red robe flashed through Sakura's mind. So the puppet master she had battled had been Deidara's partner. She sighed.

"Your partner…" she began.

"Master Sasori" Deidara snapped coldly. He was not as angry as he had been, but he would not allow Sasori's killer to disrespect his deceased partner. Familiar rage was seeping back into him and raced through his veins.

"Master Sasori was an admirable ninja." Sakura continued. " He died honourably, and by his own choice, in his own way."

Deidara stiffened at her words. _By his own choice?_ Master Sasori was too great a ninja to choose death. This couldn't be true.

"No." he whispered in disbelief. But his quiet protest was faint to the point of being inaudible, and Sakura pressed on.

"He was killed by puppets of his parents, the way he said he wanted to be. Before it happened, he told us that when he died, he wanted to die in his parent's embrace, rather than some other cruel way. We gave him his final wish." Sakura explained gently. She knew that this was a sensitive topic.

"NO!" Deidara screeched, jumping to his feet. Sakura fell backwards onto the ground in alarm. Deidara had removed his robe, and underneath his fishnet shirt his chest was heaving with deep, enraged panting. Sakura's green eyes pivoted to fix on Deidara's leather pouches, resting in the corner.

Deidara noticed the flicker of Sakura's eyes and followed her gaze to his bags of clay. He could do it, it was so close. Just by reaching out and snatching the pouch, he could complete the task he had set out to do. He flexed his fingers in anticipation.

Then just as quickly, he lowered his hand.

"LIAR!" he screamed, then turned and stormed out of the tent.

Once outside, Deidara did not go far. He stormed off to crumple at the base of a nearby tree, in sight of the tent. An unintelligible yell escaped his lips, and he turned his back on the little canvas hut.

The sky lit with a bright flash, and a distant roar reverberated from the trees. For an inexplicable reason, this felt perfect. Like a lightening flash splits the sky, the events since he came across the wounded Itachi had streaked across his life, lighting it up briefly and throwing everything into a different perspective. And like a thunder clap, it was all blowing up on him.

That Sakura girl was evil. She had to be. She was working for Konoha this whole time; that's why she needed him to stay. She was probably waiting for reinforcements to arrive to take them away. That would explain how she had found the tent; she had been looking for Itachi! How could he have ever trusted her? How could he have been so delusional to think that they might become friends.

It was only the ghost of his own battered emotions that kept him from getting up and marching off to finish off the despicable girl once and for all. For some unknown reason, his limbs just would not take him. He must be tired.

This had barely occurred to him when Deidara fell fast asleep against a tree.

Several minutes after the young man had fallen asleep, a shadowy figure emerged from the tent, clutching a kunai. The person walked toward where Deidara had sprawled on the ground and stopped. The person raised a hand clenched around a kunai and swung it forward, where it connected with something solid.

There was a dull "thunk" when the bit into the tree. The figure swiped a lock of hair from its eyes, and began to carve into the bark. The scratching noise of the kunai on wood echoed faintly through the blackness, but the person worked on. Once satisfied, the figure drew back.

Then two small hands draped a blanket over Deidara, and retreated back into the tent.

**A/N: Wow, was this chapter hard to write. I didn't think it would be that difficult. But I decided a few paragraphs in that I needed to address the issue with Sasori's death, and of course that veered everything off in another direction entirely.**

**But regardless, I finished the chapter. And on my birthday, no less. Yay me.**

**Reviews? Anyone? I love getting feedback, so go ahead and push that review button. You know you want to . **


	6. A Difficult Confession

**Disclaimer: Which sadistic person decided to torment me by making me confess over and over that I do not own Naruto?**

**A/N: Sorry for the long gap between chapters four and five, I'm really trying to update quickly, but it's not easy. Bear with me here!**

Sakura returned to the tent, and sat in the doorway, looking at the sleeping form of Deidara. The blanket she had thrown over him should protect from the night's elements. And when he woke, he would see what she had written for him in the tree. It was the least she could do, after causing him such grief.

When the sun was just a thin line on the horizon, Deidara opened his eyes. Immediately, he noticed how stiff he was. After spending a night outside on the ground, he should expect to be cold and sore. But he wasn't sore, It took a bit of fidgeting and fussing, but he eventually realized that someone had thrown a blanket over him while he slept. Was it Itachi? Mot likely not, but he could not bring himself to hope that he had been wrong about Sakura; it would hurt too much if she disappointed him. Then he noticed the two words carved in the tree by his cheek.

"I'm sorry." they read.

Sakura looked up when she heard the canvas door flap open. Deidara shuffled into the tent, head bowed, and silently flopped down to face Sakura. A loud sigh escaped his lips.

"So…" he began. This situation definitely qualified as awkward.

"Yeah.." she replied. Not the most articulate conversation they had ever had.

Then, before Sakura knew what was happening, Deidara had slumped forward and wrapped his arms around her. Her eyes widened, but she allowed herself to be pulled into the hug. Neither one spoke; they didn't have to. Each knew that their funny little friendship was healing.

Itachi made a fussing noise in the background, and the moment was over. The two broke apart, exchanged timid smile, and then got back into their daily routine.

It wasn't until a few days later, when Itachi was beginning to walk on hi s own, that Deidara and Sakura really got a chance to speak again. Sakura was kneeling by the stream, cupping her hands to tip water to her mouth. Before Deidara had even had sufficient time to order his feet to move, they were carrying him to her side.

"Hey." he said noncommittally as he flopped down.

"Hey." she returned. They would definitely have to do something about these awkward conversations. Sakura, having nothing further to say, put and hand on her knee to push her self up to stand. Deidara whipped out a hand and grabbed hers to pull her back down. Then he did something else without thinking.

Sakura felt Deidara's hand enclose hers. And then she felt a pair of lips press into her palm. Instantly, she twisted her hand from his grasped and stared open mouthed at Deidara. A small squeak of alarm left her mouth, and she turned on her heel and fled back to the tent.

Deidara let his hand fall limply onto the grass, silently cursing whatever sadistic gene it was that gave him those extra mouths. He had not intended to do that, but it had just felt right. The truth was, his thoughts of Sakura had taken another direction in the past few days.

The two had been living together, along with Itachi, for a few weeks now. It wasn't a long time, but somehow, it was enough. Deidara had never intended to fall for the medic, and it had all happened gradually. First was his decision not to kill her, then came his discovery that he enjoyed making her laugh. And after the episode over Sasori's death, they had developed an sort of unspoken understanding. It was like she knew what to say and what not to say, to get just the right reaction from him. Ordinarily, he would be annoyed by this sort of person, and dispatch them immediately, but she was different. He had really been hoping that she would be thinking the same things too.

With a sigh, Deidara turned and trudged up to the tent, his hands in his pockets.

Sakura was kneeling on the floor next to Itachi, helping him to feed himself. She did not look up when she quiet the quit swishing of canvas, nor did she acknowledge the man standing directly behind her. Instead, she pointedly continued to assist Itachi. There was a minute or so punctuated only by the sound f Itachi chewing, then he waved Sakura away and leaned back onto his pillow.

"What is it?" Sakura asked, still facing Itachi. Deidara snorted.

"It's him, isn't it?" he retorted.

"Who?" Sakura replied, truly bewildered.

"Him." Deidara spat. Sakura gave him a blank look, and Deidara launched into a rant.

"It's Itachi! Itachi! You love him, don't you? That's why you won't let me come near! Don't try to deny it - I can see the way you look at him; you're always taking care of him, even when he doesn't need it! You care about him, who only thinks about ending his clan! But why don't you care about me, when I can love you back!"

Deidara finished and stood, panting, before Sakura. She raised her eyes to meet his, then cast them down again.

"It's not me." a frail voice declared. Sakura and Deidara looked at Itachi in amazement. They had assumed he was asleep. He continued ,"It's my younger brother, isn't it?"

Sakura swallowed, and hung her head. "Sasuke-kun."

Itachi smirked "Thought so."

Now it was Deidara's turn to look confused.

"Sasuke Uchiha?"

Sakura nodded and began to explain, voice trembling.

"Sasuke was….my team mate. And a very close friend. But…he left. He was so determined to get stronger, so determined to kill you that he…he joined Orochimaru. I-I tried to st-stop him. I told him that I….that I…..that I loved him. But he left anyways. And I've been waiting for him ever since." Sakura looked at Deidara " I don't think I can give up on him, not after all this time. I'm sorry."

Deidara said nothing, and Sakura could almost predict him storming out of the tent. Any second now, she could feel it coming…

Deidara held out a clenched fist in front of her.

"Sakura. Please. Sasuke left you, and I know it's painful, but you're hurting yourself. Let somebody care about you, Sakura. Even someone like me can fall in love."

With that, he opened his hand, and a tiny clay cherry blossom curled out from it. Sakura gasped as Deidara fixed it to her hair.

"You know, you really are a beautiful cherry blossom. Why don't you let anyone appreciate that?" he mused. As he spoke, he brushed his fingers down the side of her face, and stopped at her cheek; he hesitated. Sakura blushed and gave a tentative smile.

"You're right." she whispered.

Deidara returned the smile. Sakura felt a pair of lips press her cheek. And this time, she did not turn away.

**A/N: Finally, I've got this story going the way I wanted it to. This hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be; this is my first pairing fic (unless you count that ridiculous Sasuke and Orochimaru thing I wrote).**

**Anyways, I love the feedback I get, it keeps me going, so drop me a review. Just take a second, I appreciate it! Thanks!**


	7. Together

**Disclaimer: Yet again, I do not own Naruto. Seriously, how many times do I have to say it?**

**A/N: These chapters are taking so long, it's killing me. I'm really trying to update quickly, I promise. I'm really getting into writing this, I must continue!**

Sakura and Deidara's newfound relationship progressed quickly, but with difficulty. Sakura tried to open herself to loving that boy, but every so often, that familiar hurt left over from Sasuke would find it's way back to her. Deidara tried to be patient; it wasn't easy for either of them. Deidara hated having to watch her lost in thought, teary-eyed, thinking of someone other than him; he couldn't even kiss her with his own mouth. But he would endure this, he would do it for Sakura.

This love thing was making him do things he thought he never would.

"Sakura?" he asked one evening, after Itachi had fallen asleep. She was sitting with her feet curled under her, looking down at Itachi, and a single tear was making its way down her face. Moments like this made Deidara want to hunt down and murder the Uchiha brat himself.

"Hnn?" she replied, trying to hide her tears. She knew Deidara was doing the best he could, and she was growing fonder of him daily, but there was still that shock of letting go of Sasuke. She hadn't quite grasped it yet; she needed more time. Her biggest worry was that she would make Deidara think she didn't care.

"It's okay." he promised, scooting over to her side. He didn't bother saying Sasuke's name out loud. Instead, he hesitantly wrapped his hands around Sakura's waist, and pulled her closer to rest her head against his shoulder. She allowed this, simply lay there, cradled in Deidara's arms, flooded with memories of Sasuke. Deidara smiled into her hair; they were becoming closer, even if it was not him she was thinking of.

From that moment on, each milestone, each event brought them closer and closer. When Itachi walked around the clearing by himself, the two celebrated with an embrace. Deidara hailed the complete healing of the wound in Itachi's side by planting a swift kiss on Sakura's forehead. And when Itachi was able to bathe himself in the nearby stream, Sakura timidly kissed Deidara on the cheek, to his delight. Slowly but surely, they were moving forward.

In spite of this, they didn't really seal their relationship until Sakura had sat back, exhausted but pleased, after healing the last of Itachi's head wound. It was only then that Deidara had felt confident enough to do the one thing he had been wanting. Gently, as though handling a delicate porcelain doll, he grasped Sakura's shoulders and turned her to face him. She did not struggle. Keeping his extra mouths still, he slid his hands up her neck, cupping her face.

And then, finally, his lips met hers.

Sakura's would have gasped had her mouth not been firmly planted on Deidara's. This was unexpected. Unexpected, but not unwelcome. A shudder passed through her, and she could almost feel the remnants of her feelings for Sasuke melt away. Sasuke had abandoned her, and Deidara was here. For the first time ever, she truly understood that. And she knew how she felt about Deidara. With that thought, she pressed deeper into the kiss. Deidara did not complain.

After that moment, their relationship progressed more normally. Sakura stopped crying for Sasuke, and Itachi's wounds had healed. All that remained was training; he was hardly the same calibre of ninja that he had been. Of course, he preferred to train alone, and this left Deidara and Sakura time for taking long walks together, frolicking in the creek, watching the stars, made sculptures together (Deidara had to help), all the things that Sakura had always wanted to do. They cuddled and kissed, oblivious to the time passing by. Sakura had no idea about what was going on in Konoha, and Deidara did no know what had become of Kisame or any of the Akatsuki.

However, they both knew that they could not continue as they were forever.

"I wish this would never end." Sakura said sadly one night. Itachi was becoming stronger, tonight, he had decided to stay out training all night. For the first time, Deidara and Sakura were left alone in the tent.

"It doesn't have to, un." Deidara declared. Sakura couldn't help but smile at his childish promise. Then she sighed.

"Think about it, Dei." Deidara considered this use of a nickname "When we met, you wanted nothing moor than to kill me, and I hated your entire organization. If it wasn't for Itachi, one of us would have killed the other!"

"But we didn't." Deidara reminded her. Sakura shook her head in frustration.

"Think about what I'm saying! You're an S-ranked criminal, a rouge ninja, and I'm a renowned Konoha medic, apprentice to the Hokage. I'm surprised I Haven't been found already. We're not supposed to be together, Deidara. We're not allowed to fall in love."

"On, so you're better than me, are you? You're too good for this, un?" Deidara growled. He loved the girl, but she could not completely banish his hot temper.

"No, you know I don't think things like that. But would your organization approve of us? Our love is forbidden by everyone."

Deidara looked at her for a moment. Then he replied "I'm not my organization, and I don't care what they think."

To prove his point, he pulled his regular black cloak off over his head. Underneath he wore a tight black shirt, with only a type of netting to cover his stomach. He then untied his defaced forehead protector and cast it aside. Last, he carefully pried the metal eye scope from his face and laid it on the floor. His blonde hair flopped back over his newly-revealed eye.

Then he turned to Sakura "You are not Konoha, un."

Deidara reached behind her neck, and untied her leaf village forehead protector. It slid to the floor with a clatter, next to where Deidara's had landed. Sakura took advantage of the moment to gently kiss her outlaw love. Then she pulled back and flashed a devious grin.

"Let's just…be together. Not as criminal and captor, or as two enemy ninjas. Let's just be two regular people. Just for tonight." she pleaded. A blonde eyebrow arced, then a grin met green eyes. Sakura took this as consent and timidly reached out for Deidara's waist. After a bit of fumbling, there was a clink and the leather pouches containing his clay dropped onto the floor where they kneeled.

Deidara could barely process what was happening. It didn't seem to long ago that he thought only of the death of this girl, and now she had just removed his only weapon. And he was enjoying it. Well, now it was only fair that he disarm her. Gently, her weapons pouch was prised from her belt. Then he slipped off her gloves for good measure. And those boots could be dangerous.

It didn't take Sakura long to figure out what he was doing. And it took her even less time to join in. Metal buckles clinked, buttons popped, and the clothing strewn around the tent piled up.

Suddenly, before either of them had truly grasped what was going on, they were just ordinary people. Or rather, they were just ordinary lovers. No weapons or gear to keep them apart. And they liked it. And after that realization, they went ahead with what they had both been wanting to do.

Sakura and Deidara were finally as together as they could ever dream of being.

Later in the night, when they lay beside each other panting, sweat still clinging to their bodies, the earlier conversation was completely forgotten. In that one moment, christened with the loss of their innocence, each believed that they would always be there, with each other and in love. The world felt right, and a smile hung on their mouths as they drifted off to sleep.

They could never have imagined what lay ahead.

**A/N: Ha! I left a cliff-hanger! **

**And on another note, I must say that, with regards to the obvious sexual implication, I did my best to keep it "T" rated. If I've offended anyone, just let me know, and I'm very sorry. I wasn't thrilled at having to put that in, but I had to show the extent of their relationship. **

**Just another note here, the "angst" category on this fic is about to come in. Just be forewarned.**

**One last thing. I've gotten a lots of "Story Alert" notices for this, but not so many reviews. Really, just tell me anything, what you liked or didn't like, what I could improve, etc. I love getting reviews! Please?**


	8. Bitter Conflict, Sudden Sorrow

**Disclaimer: I really hope that no one out there honestly thinks I own Naruto…**

**A/N: Let there be angst! Wow, for my fist pairing fic, this is going to get elaborate…**

Soft rays of sunlight permeated the tent, waking Sakura. Her eyelids fluttered open. Hmm. It looked like a nice, sunny day. Shallow breathing sounded from right beside her ear. That had to be Deidara. Outside, there was a wooden "thunk". It seemed Itachi was already awake and training. She should also get up.

Sakura propped herself up on her elbows, allowing the blanket to slide back. Cold morning air nipped at her bare chest. She flopped down and pulled the blanket back up. So last night had not been a dream; she and Deidara had really gone for it. Sure enough, a peek at Deidara showed her had no shirt, and she could see his pants crumpled up a few feet away. She had best wake him up.

Though she was not yet aware of it, she had more than the cold to worry about.

Weeks before, Kisame had fled the tent holding only his giant sword. His robes were splattered with Itachi's blood, and he could still hear Itachi screaming behind him. Frightened, he ran; Itachi's screams stopped when he was some distance from the tent.

It was then that he felt free to carry out his plan.

Carrying out the scheme he had been mentally plotting for weeks, Kisame traveled to the leader's hideout in the Rain village. Trodding through the downpour, Kisame couldn't conceal a toothy grin; the leader would not fear one of his own. It was presumed that they all feared him.

Then all too soon, the entrance seal was broken, a dark shape darted through corridors and an unsuspecting figure was spotted.

"Kisame-san?" Pein called out, though he already knew who was there. Kisame did not reply; doing so would have shattered the little courage he had managed to collect. Instead, he raised his terrible sword, preparing to make his most important kill yet. He could hear somebody, presumably Konan, moving around in the next room. Inhaling sharply, he brought his weapon down in a steep arc.

Pein heard Kisame gasp behind him, and felt fear and tension at the same time. Sheer reflex caused him to leap nimbly from his chair and land on his feet on the floor. Instead of flesh, the samehada caught only the edge of Pein's Akatsuki robe. Kisame's beady white eyes widened in shock. This was not part of the plan. He had no idea what to do.

Kisame may not have known it, but Pein was inwardly panicking as well. He had counted on the Akatsuki fearing and obeying him. How deep did this rebellion run? Was it just one deranged little shark man, or was everyone questioning his place as leader? Either way, this would not do.

Pein raised his hands and made several slight movements. Chakra rushed through his hands, and readied his attack. Pein was used to using more devious ninja tactics, rather than face-to-face combat techniques, but the attack he was preparing would be deadly.

Pein took in Kisame's shocked face, the over swing of the samehada, all in an instant. He was just about to unleash his deadly attack when he noticed something else; a little head of blue hair peeking around the doorframe.

"Pein?" asked Konan. She had sensed a commotion and come to investigate. Upon seeing Kisame, she figured that he had come to deliver some sort of bad news and raised Pein's stress levels. She had thought wrong.

It was that split second of recognition that caused everything to go terribly wrong for the Akatsuki leader.

In that one moment where he recognized Konan's face, he dropped his guard momentarily. It was instinct; he had nothing to fear from someone he loved as much as her. Kisame knew of their relationship, and he took advantage of that. Instead of swinging the sword back for another strike at Pein, he let it go its course - headed straight for Konan's head.

'_Not her' _was the only thought that came to Pein's mind. Though he knew it would take most of his strength, he fought back against his own chakra and changed techniques in mid-jutsu.

"WHUMP!"

The sound echoed through the room. No one made a noise. It was over.

The blast of chakra had left Pein's palms in a sort of thunder clap. It hit Konan squarely in the chest and knocked her to the ground, out of harm's way. Missing her by inches, the samehada continued in a wide arc. There was no time for Pein to think, never mind react. The terrible weapon struck the side of his head and without so much as a scream, he fell.

He needn't have made a noise. Konan's anguished scream reverberated from the walls as Pein's blood splattered her face and robes. Ignoring the shark-man, Konan crawled across the floor, still crying out, until she collapsed in a heap on Pein's body.

Kisame watched her mournfully. She wept, fingers clutched around Pein's limp hand, her Akatsuki ring clinking against his. Those rings were more than just token's of membership. For that pair, they served as wedding rings. Itachi had been at their small ceremony, and though he was bound to secrecy, he had told Kisame of their marriage.

Thoughts of his partner made Kisame sick. He knew that Itachi must have died. And now Pein was dead, his second murder in only a few days. There was no turning back now. But he didn't have to kill anybody else. He would let Konan live; it was the least he could do for taking away her husband. Feeling relieved, Kisame fled the scene, headed for the Akatsuki's main headquarters.

Sparing Konan's life was a very stupid thing to do.

She lay on the floor, draped across Pein's body for hours. Slowly, but surely she would have to accept his death. Eventually, she was able to sit up, and look at his ruined face. Much of it was obscured by blood - she wiped it away with her sleeve, careful not to snag any of his numerous piercing. He looked the same in death as he had in life, except for the ragged wound spanning the side of his head. His lips were cold under hers as she gave his one farewell kiss. Unable to bear any more sorrow, she too fled the room. But she was going to plan her revenge.

She could contact the rest of the Akatsuki. But no - Sasori was dead, Deidara was away searching for his partner's killer ( she now fully appreciated how he felt), and Itachi was probably part of Kisame's scheme. Their numbers were too few to carry out the plot that was starting to simmer in her mind. Then it came to her.

The rain village. Of course. The village she and - she couldn't bring herself to think the name - _her partner _had kept an eye on the proceedings of the village, turning it from a quaint little country town to a formidable ninja training centre. She had all the forces she needed. But where to attack. Konan racked her frantic brain. Where had Kisame come from? Where was he headed? He had mentioned something to do with Itachi before they had last set off from a headquarters. Itachi was from Konoha. She had her location.

Ina calmer state of mind, Konan would have realized that her logic was leaving a little to be desired, to say the least. But of course, her reasoning made perfect sense to her as she wrote out a warning letter to Konoha. Choppy, disjointed strokes spelled out a message that Konoha were to surrender to the Rain Village or prepare to be attacked.

The next morning saw Tsunade sitting quietly in her office, just like every other morning. Sakura wasn't due back in Konoha for a few more days, making it easier for Tsunade to slack off on her paperwork. Life was good.

A decoder burst through the door holding a crumpled it of parchment. Apparently life was not good. Tsunade listed with rapt attention as the jonin before her explained the situation.

"Damn!" she cursed, before ordering all of the available jonin to her office. No, life was definitely not good.

**A/N: Finally, this chapter is done! I wanted to have more mention of Deidara and Sakura in it, but that just wasn't possible. After all, I had other things that needed explaining. Don't worry, they are definitely my main characters, and they will be the main focus of most, if not all, of my remaining chapters.**

**Wow, that chapter was sort of morbid. The first chapter was sort of morbid. Oh dear…..**

**Drop me a review! I believe I already told you, but I love getting reviews!!! They make me happy! Praise, criticism, anything, so long as it is not malicious and cruel!!!!**

**Well, I'm off to start the next chapter…hope to have it up within the next few days!**


	9. An Unwanted Rescue

**Disclaimer: It really shouldn't come as a shock to you that I don't own Naruto…**

**A/N: Trying to add some depth to the plot line here…..once again, bear with me….**

Tsunade glanced around at the ninjas assembled before her.

"We have an impending threat from the coming from the Rain village." she informed them. Her words were met with a barrage of questions; she raised her hand to silence them.

"We don't know what they want. They only asked for a surrender of Konoha. I'm not about to let that happen." Tsunade continued. A few voices began to respond, but she carried on "We must prepare to fight, and perhaps die for our village! For so long as I live, this village will not be defeated! I swear it!"

She glared at the faces staring back, as if daring them to argue. No one did. The fifth Hokage drew herself up to her full height, drew in a breath, and began to bark directions. The jonin obeyed at once, scrambling off to fetch chunin, make teams, and look after the genin. There was so much to do, that in the scramble, everyone forgot the little pink-haired medic named Sakura. Indeed, it would be a while before anyone thought of her.

Tsunade and the rest of Konoha waited offered no surrender. Instead, they lay in wait for the enemy's attack, and sure enough, Konan came through. Late one night, an unseasonably cold wind brought dozens of paper scraps through the village streets. Those who happened to looking out their windows toward the Hokage office would have seen those multiple sheets come together to make a solid form. Even before her feet were fully reconstructed, Konan was adjusting the ornament in her hair. She was inside enemy walls.

Though was cloudless, a gentle rain began to pour. Perhaps no one would have been too alarmed with this, if the puddles had not shifted and contorted into Rain ninjas. Just as suddenly as they had come, Konoha was under attack.

Tsunade woke when a panicked Shizune burst into her room.

"They've come!" she cried. Tsunade did not need to ask who she was talking about. Without so much as pausing to change out of her sleeping attire, Tsunade hurtled out of her bedroom and up the stair to her office. She arrived just in time to blood splatter the window overlooking Konoha; she could only hope that it hadn't come from a Leaf ninja.

For days afterwards, the battle raged. There were casualties on both sides, and Tsunade found that all her attention was required by the hospital. Each time there was a lull in he war and it appeared that Konoha would reign victorious, something began to gnaw at the edges of Tsunade's mind. But before she could figure out what it was, there would be another casualty and the Hokage would find herself occupied and unable to think of anything else.

It wasn't until that chilly morning when Sakura and Deidara were waking after discovering a new kind of love that Tsunade came to an important realization.

Tsunade's hands glowed with a green light as she sat inside a healing seal in one of the intensive care rooms. Various healers, including Shizune, were seated around the room, straining frantically to hold on to Konohamaru's life. Years of experience had shaped the Hokage's medical abilities well, and she felt it immediately when the boy's life began to quietly fade.

"NO" she roared. She could not allow the little genin to die. Then again, her own powers were not enough to save him, and the other healers in the room were exhausted. There had to be another person that could help…there it was again, that little nagging train of thought. She was trying to push it out of her mind but it would not go. That thought was a person…..someone who could help…. but there was something wrong.

"SAKURA!" she screamed. Sudden power shot from her palms, coursing through the seal, through Konohamaru. And before she knew what was happening, Tsunade had fallen face first onto the floor.

When Tsunade opened her eyes, she was lying in a cot in her office. Shizune's worried face looked down at her. Instantly, the fifth was p and moving. Sakura. She remembered. Sakura should have been back weeks ago. What had happened to her? Tsunade had no question that Sakura could defend herself from enemy forces. Perhaps she had heard of the war and had remained in the sand village until could get more details of the situation. That had to be it. And her messages must have been intercepted my enemy ninja. Right. That left her no choice. Tsunade would have to go get Sakura.

"Master Tsunade?" Shizune asked warily as her companion headed for the door. Tsunade did not offer an explanation, but simply replied, "I'm going to get Sakura."

Shizune stared at the door for several long moments after it closed, then sighed. There would be no stopping her once she had made up her mind.

Dawn was coming when Tsunade darted through the old tunnels in the rock face. Cool night air stung her cheeks at the end of the passage, and the quiet rustle of leaves was the only sound that announced her journey through the dark woods. She was taking a wild rote through untamed forest, and the animals of the night were her only companions. After a time, she decided that the moths were her favourite. The way they twisted and fluttered, it was beautiful… but there seemed to be more and more of them. And they were all headed in the same direction.

Tsunade's eyes scanned the scenery, and sure enough, far away in the distance was a flickering light. This didn't make sense; the rising sun was behind her. She had no choice but to investigate; it could easily be an enemy campsite she was looking at.

Sakura looked down at Deidara's sleeping face. Each line had been smoothed out, and a gentle smile tugged at the corners of his lips. She would have been content to sit there and listen to his slow, deep breaths, but it was cold and she wanted him to dress so they could go and find Itachi in time for breakfast. Her fingers stretched out and gently brushed aside a stray lock of blonde hair caught in his eyelashes; her touch caused him to stir, turn over and then finally open his eyes.

"Un." He complained. She simply giggled and persisted in her efforts to wake until he complied. Deidara grinned, then pulled his covers up self-consciously and began to look around for his robe. He managed to locate the discarded cloak, carefully place his eye scope and slip it over his head, then pull on his standard white stirrup pants. Sakura stopped averting her eyes and had just eased into a gentle kiss when the tent flap flew open.

Tsunade burst into the little tent, kunai in hand ready to fight – then nearly dropped her weapon. The first thing she took in was her little apprentice Sakura. A familiar pattern of red clouds on a black background assaulted her eyes; then she realized what she was seeing. There stood Sakura, locked in a passionate embrace with one of Konoha's most wanted enemies. Tsunade's reaction was instinctive.

"Get away from her!" she shouted, tearing them apart and crouching in from of Sakura protectively. Deidara gazed bewilderedly at the blonde woman's raised kunai. This woman had obviously come to protect Sakura. Had she truly betrayed him?

"Tsunade, what are you doing?" Sakura demanded. This time Tsunade whipped her head around at her apprentice.

"What do you mean, what am I doing? I'm saving you from being attacked by this Akatsuki!" she spat, turning to snarl at Deidara upon saying the name of his organization. Then Deidara understood. Tsunade was the name of Konoha's Hokage, and Sakura's master. She had come of her own accord to save the girl; his love had not forsaken him. But he hardly had time for relief. What were they going to do?

"You don't understand." Sakura insisted, stepping out from behind Tsunade and moving to Deidara's side, "I love him!"

The words echoed through the tent, and Deidara cast a quick glance at the girl beside him. After all they had been through, everything they'd done, no one had worked up the courage to say those three little words out loud. The notion had gone unspoken between them, but now it was in the open.

"I love her too." Deidara declared. Tsunade's eyes flared in rage. How dare they fall in love! In a swift motion, she wrenched Sakura down by the wrist and slapped her soundly before throwing her to the corner of the tent, where the canvas buckled with her limp form. Then Tsunade went for Deidara.

The young man panicked. There was no technique in his bomb arsenal that he could use without harming Sakura.

Tsunade knocked the boy over and stoop over him, kunai in hand. She could see no choice but to destroy Sakura's love. No bond could exist between a promising young medic and a wanted S-rank criminal. Sakura's career could not end like this. She prepared to strike her blow. Deidara's eyes were wide, etched with fear, and strands of blonde hair fell into his eyes, stirring Tsunade's memory.

Suddenly Tsunade found herself back in another small tent. A different young man lay flat on his back in front of her, that same fears of death written in eyes partially obscured by silver hairs. A young girl looked on helplessly as her love was about to be taken away from her. But this girl was not Sakura; it was Tsunade herself, years ago, watching her young love leave the world. Anguish rolled in waves over her; Tsunade knew she could not take his life when it meant so much to Sakura.

Her kunai lodged itself in the dirt next to Deidara's head. Blue eyes blinked up at her, confused. Tsunade looked at her teary eyed apprentice crumpled in the corner.

"I shall spare this boy's life for you. But you two are to never see each other again!" Tsunade roared. A kick planted itself in Deidara's side, "Get out of here. You must never see her again!"

Blue eyes pleaded with watery green ones, and Sakura nodded. Deidara rose, and fled the tent, leaving Sakura in tears.

"You'll get over it. He's just a criminal. And besides, at least he's alive." Tsunade murmured. Her only response was the sobs of the pink-haired girl curled up on the ground.

Outside, Deidara was flying away on a majestic clay swan, tears drying on his cheeks in the wind.

**A/N: Finally, chapter 9 is done. I've had to wait for the new manga chapters to make my depictions of Konan and Pein as accurate as possible. Anyways, chapter 10 shouldn't take too much longer…hopefully it'll be up in the next week or so…**

**As a side not, I've received ridiculous amounts of story alerts on this, for which I am thankful. However, I've gotten a limited number of reviews. Go ahead, write me a review and tell me what you think. I'd really appreciate it!**


	10. Wilted Blossom

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto now any more than I did for the last 9 chapters…**

**A/N: I really don't have much to say here, I just want to thank everyone for the response I've had to this story, and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **

The journey back to Konoha was more painful than anything in Sakura's memory. With each step, she could feel her invisible burden growing. It was a burden of the heart, and only one person could remove; as they drew closer to Sakura's hometown, she began to lose hope that she would ever see that person. The pain that washed over her was stifling. Not even Sasuke's departure had hurt like this. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of pining, she had found something special, only to have it torn from her so violently. Sakura chocked on a sob and pushed through another set of branches.

Tsunade was following closely behind Sakura to prevent any escape attempts, but the girl's spirits were so thoroughly broken that it was unlikely she would try. A pitiful noise drifted to Tsunade's ear, as if to confirm this. Seeing her apprentice is such anguish was killing her, but Tsunade did not regret her actions. The boy Sakura had found was a criminal, a killer. He was not to be trusted; how Sakura had ever come into contact with him was beyond her. Even the very thought of this betrayal of Konoha was enough to enrage Tsunade, and she pressed forward more quickly, so that the shattered Sakura was struggling to keep pace.

They journeyed onward without once speaking a word. The sun was high overhead when at last the gates of Konoha came into view, and Sakura zipped through without waiting for her master. Tsunade sighed, and followed.

The village of Konoha had become a considerably sorrier place in the past few weeks. Civilians traveled in packs, and the ninja who frequented the streets were usually injured. The battle with the Rain Village was taking it's toll, and both sides were quickly exhausting their supplies and fighters. Had Sakura not been so overcome, she would have been devastated to see how Konoha had changed. As it was, the only part of Konoha she saw was the inside of her bedchamber.

Tsunade trudged back up to her office. She would leave Sakura some space to recover. After all, she herself could relate so Sakura; she remembered how hard it had been when she had lost Dan.

Tsunade had just settled into her chair and rested her head in her hands when Shizune raced into the room, yelling madly and waving a slip of paper high in the air.

"_If this is bad news, I may just have to kill her." _Tsunade thought irritably as she glowered at Shizune from under a blonde forelock. Shizune seemed quite incapable of collecting herself, and instead, slapped the paper down on Tsunade's desk, puffing and panting.

"Konoha.

I can see that you are no easy foe. Our ninja have suffered damages; I know yours have too. Know that we will return in due course, and this time we will crush you and I shall have my revenge.

Konan."

The letter was brief and too the point, but it said exactly what Konoha needed it to say. The Rain was in a ceasefire. It wouldn't last, but it would give them some time to recover. Based on accounts of battles from Leaf Ninja, the Rain would not be recovering quickly. They had hope.

Tsunade slammed her fist down unexpectedly "Call a festival, Shizune. These people need something to celebrate."

And so Tsunade's wishes were carried out. The announcement was made and a cheer went up, ringing through the surrounding forests. Sakura heard a dull roar through her closed window, but rolled over and ignored it. A festival held no interest for her.

At least, that's what she thought at the time.

Deidara had stumbled from the familiar tent, breathing wildly as his heart rang in his ears. He had come so close to death, escaping to leave with his life but not his love. Despair seemed to flow through his very veins. Some distance from the tent, his mouthed palms spat out a tiny sculpture. Moments later, a mournful swan took gracefully to the air. In it's mouth it held a single clay cherry blossom.

Through the night he flew, trying to convince himself that the drops he felt on his face were raindrops and not tears.

In the midst of the confusion someone had been forgotten.

Itachi stayed perched in his tree, unmoving. Tsunade's rage had overcome her better judgement, and she had managed to not notice that one of Konoha's most notorious villains was listening to her every word. He saw Deidara flee the scene, and watched Sakura being dragged off to Konoha. He had to act quickly.

Ordinarily, Itachi would have disregarded the scene that had just happened. In his life, there was no room for love as long as he had a battle to fight with his own blood. But they had saved his life, given him another shot at fulfilling his life's task. He felt obligated to help them.

Lacing a giant bird, Itachi set off to follow Sakura. He could find Deidara later.

For hours, he waited outside Konoha. To his bitter frustration, he could see no way to bring the two back together. Then a cheer rose over the fields.

It took a few days of careful sneaking, eavesdropping and some speculation, but Itachi gathered the general idea that there was to be a celebration of some sot in Konoha. There would be noise, crowds, excitement, and everyone would be enjoying themselves by taking their mind off things for a few hours; this was exactly the opportunity he needed. Itachi retreated back into the woods, and set off at a rapid pace

**A/N: That chapter was shorter than I wanted….but I think that's a good place to leave off. Oh well, last week's was monstrously long. **

**Not much to say, just the usual. For the record, I have almost as many "story alerts" as story reviews. Hmm….Review, please. Really, just a quick comment, tell me what you like about it, make a suggestion, anything really.**

**I'm still enjoying writing this, my next update won't be too far off…**


	11. A Cause for Celebration

**Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me. At least, not that I know of. **

**A/N: Wow, my 11****th**** chapter…I've been pleased with the response to this story. Thanks to all my faithful reviews, keep it up! And now, on to the chapter!**

Deidara did not prove difficult to locate. The deafening explosions could be heard from miles away. Itachi came into sight of the hideout Deidara was staying at just in time to see a remarkably realistic clay replica of the fifth Hokage blow itself to smithereens. Indecipherable screams followed and a miniature replica of Konoha met a similar tragic end.

Itachi observed the out-of-control carnage, smiled to himself, and shifted into position. Clearly Deidara would settle down anytime soon. He was only doing this for Deidara's own good…

When Deidara regained consciousness some hours later, he found himself splayed on a cold floor, head throbbing. Itachi head the rustling and rose from where he had been crouching in the shadowy corner; Deidara had to envy his seemingly effortless criminal instincts.

The pain in Deidara's head took a particularly nasty throb, and let loose a slur of cursing through three mouths. He never knew he could do that. Itachi took no heed of Deidara's foul mouth, and simply loomed over him until the stream of cusses ceased. When Deidara was through, Itachi spoke softly, choosing his words carefully."

"You can see her again." he stated. There was no need to specify who he was talking about. Deidara's eyes snapped up to meet Itachi's and narrowed. If this was some kind of cruel joke, he would see Itachi dead.

"I think I have a plan." Itachi continued. The lack of information was beginning to get at Deidara; he had never been patient. A tiny clay bug exploded next to Itachi's ear, but he didn't flinch.

"Konoha are planning a festival to mark the Rain's temporary retreat. The commotion could be the perfect opportunity." Itachi explained. The tiny explosion had hurt more than he let on.

Several minor explosions and one bout of a near-coma later, Deidara and Itachi had a loose plan. They would sneak out to the outer wall of Konoha the day of the festival. Itachi was to hypnotize the gate guards into ignoring any movement on the city limits, and Deidara would have a small clay bird deliver a single cherry blossom to Sakura. Then, in what was to be he riskiest part of the scheme, Deidara would have to scale the wall and leap down inside Konoha. What happened next was anyone's guess; they had no way of knowing whether Sakura would understand the meaning of the blossom. However, it was their only choice.

And so the days before the festival passed, and they crept by slowly indeed. While the brief time they had spent in the tent seemed like a lifetime ago, the time they spent separated seemed to fill all of existence. Deidara bombarded small animals with bombs out of sheer restlessness. Sakura could not bring herself to leave her room. But life had to go on, and as they hours ticked away, the doubt began to set in; was Deidara really going to risk execution for a girl he had known for only weeks? Was Sakura wise to compromise her career as a ninja for a mere criminal she barely knew? Memories of their time together, even that last night together, began to fade.

Dawn broke on the day of the festival, and Sakura was lying awake as she usually did, thoughts racing. First, she relived her memories of Deidara. It all seemed to surreal to her; how was she to know if they were really in love or not? And then there was Sasuke. She had loved him for years; could she really forget him so quickly?

Her thoughts were interrupted but a flicker at the windowsill. By the time she had risen and gone to investigate, there was nothing there but a single cherry blossom resting on the windowsill. A tear slipped down her cheek. Even the wind was mocking her, blowing this flower onto her windowsill for her to find. For Sakura did not see the little sparrow fall as Deidara's chakra ran out and it crumbled away to clay.

The remainder of the day saw a great deal of hustling and bustling about the streets of Konoha. It seemed that every citizen was busy, stringing decorations, tuning instruments, or simply trying to get themselves looking their best. Through all the commotion, Sakura sat in her room. The sun was beginning to set in it's wide arc, and still she had barely moved. A great cheering erupted from the village's heart, marking the beginning of the festivities; Sakura glowered at the flower in her hand.

" I won' t listen to you." she snarled at it, and rose from her bed to join the festival. She would move on and get on with her life.

Sakura hurried through the deserted streets. She was frightened of joining in a celebration and rejoicing, but perhaps it was for the best. She could no longer cling to her hope that Deidara had truly loved her.

There! An unusual shape silhouetted on the city wall! What could it be? The young girl stared at it, transfixed, not daring to look away. The shape straightened up, and the win d caught it, taking Sakura's words with it at the same instance. It was a man, dressed in a long cloak, with a long ponytail and wisps of hair in disarray from the wind. A large leather pouch was strapped to his waist, and his hand fumbled nervously with the zipper.

It was Deidara.

Before Sakura had time to react, a quiet curse stood out against the distant cheers, and Deidara began to fall. He landed a split second later nestled safely in Sakura's arms.

"I knew it was a good idea to let you live, un." he laughed up at her. She said nothing, but lowered him to his feet. She spent a minute just staring at him, taking in the sight of him, accepting that he was really there. Then a laugh escaped her and she flung her hands around his neck.

"You idiot!" she chided softly. Deidara grinned sheepishly over her shoulder.

"I'm a criminal; what do I care for rules?" he replied. Sakura withdrew her hands and looked up at him. Her voice wavered as she said "I didn't think….I'd ever see you again…..I wondered if….we ever truly cared for each other….."

"Shut up, un." Deidara silenced her, and pressed his mouth to hers. She gave in, wrapping her arms firmly around his thin torso. For a second, everything was all right. She had Deidara back, if just for the moment. He was there in Konoha; he had come to find her, and no one was there to tell them that the love of a criminal and medic could not be.

They went further, letting their emotions guide them. Frustrated hormones awakened, seizing the opportunity. Right where they stood, Deidara's added mouths nipped and tugged at Sakura's clothes, and her hands delved into the seam of his Akatsuki uniform.

That made it all the more awkward when they realized that the alley they stood in what not so empty.

**A/N: I don't update for weeks, and then I leave a major cliff-hanger. Ah, I am evil. **

**Seriously though, I am sorry for the long wait. Homework, school, friends, extracurricular…….I've been busy. I'm going to try to get the next one up faster, after all, I can't leave you hanging there, can I?**

**I mentioned this at the start, but reviews would be fantastic. Seriously. You have no idea. **


	12. Deadlines

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto - and at this point, I wouldn't want to. I'd know how it ends, and that would just ruin the suspense. **

**A/N: So there I was, just cruising along, enjoying my first few months of high school with no worries when all of a sudden I remember the gigantic evil cliff-hanger I left this story with. Um, oops. What can I say? It slipped my mind….this chapter will be really good, worth the wait, I promise.**

For Sakura, everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Her mind had simply shut down, and she couldn't even find the voice to scream. For all she knew, she was falling backwards - the fabric of Deidara's Akatsuki robe was slipping through her fingers, her lips left his, her clothes were pulled forward, then hung at her sides as they were released from a many-mouthed grasp.

But of course she wasn't actually moving. Rather, Deidara was being pulled away from her. More and more ANBU were swarming the alley by the second, being directed by none other than the fifth Hokage herself. Tsunade said nothing to her shocked student, but instead approached the struggling outlaw. Deidara's clay pouch had been ripped from his waist and his robe lay several meters away. Panting and wide-eyed, he was on his knees, arms pinned by masked ANBU. He stared up at Tsunade through his curtain of blonde hair, completely defenceless.

The Hokage glowered back, eyes devoid of mercy.

"Take him away!" she barked "I'll deal with him this time."

Tsunade and Sakura looked on silently as Deidara was hauled roughly to his feet and shoved off into the descending darkness, still in the firm hands of the ANBU squad. Tsunade said nothing to her pale, whimpering student. '_They brought it on themselves._' was the only thing she could think, and with that thought, she walked away, leaving Sakura alone in the darkening alley.

Sakura stayed in that alley until she lost track of time. The festival torches burned low, and all but a few stragglers had headed home by the time she gave a thought to how cold, or hungry she was. Not that those things seemed to matter. She had lost Deidara, perhaps for good this time; their love had been torn from them by force. She was overcome by fear for both of them. How would she cope without him? And more importantly, what would become of him? She would have been able to get on with her life, had she been living with the knowledge that Deidara was alive and well and running free. Now, his life could be forfeit, and it was all her fault. Her whimpering accelerated into hiccupping sobs.

All of a sudden, a good-sized stone came hurtling through the night, striking Sakura squarely on the back of the head. A man jumped down from the city wall, gathering the girl's unconscious form in his arms.

Itachi shook his head, looking down at Sakura's limp form. The sound of her sobbing was just too annoying; he'd had to shut her up somehow. Moving as quickly and quietly as a shadow, he darted through the sleepy Konoha and flung Sakura through her open bedroom window. There. Good deed accomplished.

While Sakura was landing on her bedroom floor with considerable force, while Itachi was feeling disgruntled and Deidara was writhing in his cold cell, another fairly important person was drawing near the village. This person was completely unaware of the forbidden romance that had blossomed between medic and criminal; this person was equally oblivious of the consequences now being served to those two young lovers. This person was merely tracking his older brother, hoping to get some long-overdue revenge for the massacre of his family.

After years of absence, Sasuke Uchiha was heading back to Konoha.

Sakura's eyes opened slowly the next morning. Her head throbbed violently, and her muscles protested every attempt at sitting up. Not to mention the inescapable emptiness that now flooded her being. Her green eyes scanned the room uninterestedly, trying to figure out what had woke her. A pair of heels settled into focus. She looked up. Not Tsunade, but Shizune. That was just as bad.

Shizune looked nervous; she couldn't bring herself to meet Sakura's gaze. She knew why Tsunade had summoned Sakura, and none of the reasons were good for Sakura. Nevertheless, she led the girl in silence across the town, and up to the Hokage's office. As soon as Sakura was standing sullenly in front of her master, Shizune slipped out of the room and shut the door. She knew what was coming and didn't want to be any part of it.

Tsunade poured herself a cup of some steaming liquid and drained it in a single mouthful. She laid her cup back on the desk and sighed deeply. As angry as she was, she didn't want to do this.

"I had a rough night, Sakura." Tsunade began wearily "I had a lot of trouble to sort out, a lot of paperwork to go through."

Sakura stiffened. She could guess what that paperwork was about.

"Technically, you can't be punished for anything that happened. The criminal confessed to entering the city of his own accord. He says you didn't help him." Tsunade eyed her student doubtfully, then threw back another cup of the steaming liquid.

Sakura began to grow uneasy. Tsunade was obviously anxious; she seemed to be leading up to something. What could she possibly be trying to say?

Tsunade blurted out "Despite this, I have no choice but to revoke your duties as a ninja!"

Sakura felt her world fall around her. The office, Tsunade's face, all fell away, until she was left with her hopelessness. "Ninja" wasn't a career; it was a life choice. Her life choice. And now it was all going to be taken from her. A quiet sound of disbelief escaped her lips.

Tsunade watched the face of her student with an uncharacteristic amount of sympathy. She knew Sakura was hurting, and there was worse news yet to come. Tsunade of all people could appreciate how painful matters of the heart were.

"Sakura!" she barked, trying to retain a tough façade. The girl's blank eyes stared back into hers.

"This isn't permanent. You can resume ninja duties - after the baby is born."

There was a moment of tense silence as Sakura processed the meaning of this. She whimpered quietly and clutched her stomach. Tsunade sighed heavily.

"One of the Hyuuga clan was among those ANBU last night. He saw the beginnings of another chakra system, separate from your own." Tsunade explained.

"Deidara." was the only thing Sakura could manage to whisper. Tsunade stood suddenly, and walked past the trembling young woman, headed for the door. But before she could leave, she turned around and told Sakura one last thing, something that would shatter her world.

"Sakura, this Deidara. The Akatsuki member. He's been sentenced to death."

With that, Tsunade slipped from the room. She never saw Sakura fall to her knees, or the tears that came afterwards. The shell of who Sakura had been lay huddled on the floor for hours, until Shizune was sent to escort her home.

**A/N: There, wasn't that worth the wait? It's a little shorter than most of the other chapters, but I think it's eventful enough to make up for it. There! No more cliff-hanger! But now I'm kind of curious about where I'm going with this…..**

**Am I really going to shamelessly plead for reviews? Hmm…Yes, I am. A big thanks to everyone who's ever reviewed, and I hope everyone would care to leave me one. I want to see which direction you think the story is going. **


	13. No Escape

**Disclaimer: 13 chapters in, and I still don't own Naruto. Tsk, tsk. **

**A/N: This chapter has been more difficult to write than everything I've ever posted combined. No joke. **

For the next few weeks Sakura drifted along in a lesser state of existence. Her eyes, her mind itself was blank. Everywhere she went, she felt the stare of the people she knew pressing down on her; she felt as though she was awaiting her own execution.

The execution. An unconceivable bleak point on the horizon. No matter how she tried to come to terms with it, it never seemed to be quite real. None of it seemed real. The weeks in the tent, that last night, the meeting in the alley, Deidara's arrest, the baby and now finally, Deidara's sentence all blinded her with memories. She felt like she had been emptied out and filled up again with only Deidara and everything that came with him.

Each tick of the clock was mocking Sakura. Every moment that went by was a moment she was apart from Deidara, and a moment closer to her love's death. They were one heart and his was about to stop beating. But what could she do? She had been targeted as a victim of most of the village's gossip. Every move she made traveled through whispers to every one of the village's citizens. Any attempt to leave and see Deidara would get straight to the Hokage. She didn't even know where Deidara was. She could only hope she could be with him when his life was finally taken.

Though Sakura didn't know it, somebody else was trying to help.

A dark shadow was nestled on a branch outside the Konoha walls, peering across the village at the Hokage's office. There was a barely visible twitch of motion, and the form was gone. Slipping noiselessly through the trees, Itachi Uchiha was on his daily trek to the little cave that now served as home. Cursing silently, he crashed through the tree that disguised his makeshift home and landed with a thump on the flat stone floor. A wave of his hand revived the fire as he settled in to think. Surely the time for action had almost come.

On the fateful night of Deidara's capture, Itachi had been all but forgotten among the chaos. He had slipped off into the night, away from the ANBU units, away from the Hokage and away from his own comrade. Ordinarily, Itachi had few qualms about letting a fellow Akatsuki die. They were unimportant in his grand scheme of life. But now, with treason among the Akatsuki, both the organization and his plans were in shambles. He couldn't afford to lose an ally. As for the girl…. she was Deidara's reason to live. She was the only reason he himself was alive – he owed her that. And besides, she had been central in Sasuke's life in Konoha. Sakura could prove to be the best link to Sasuke's life Itachi could hope for. Itachi had to save them both. As it was shaping up, he would need each of them to save the other.

Rescue was all that occupied Itachi these days. Everything he did, everything he thought, all pertained to the impending rescue. He spent his days lurking about the Konoha walls, straining his weak eyes to observe the daily workings of the village, and using his keen Sharingan to get a better handle on the security he would be facing. Everything was mapped out clearly in his head – The location of Sakura's house, the proximity of ninja guards to possible escape routes, the locations of every ninja dwelling in the village. He knew what he was doing. It was all there – the places he would need to be and the times he would need to be there. Everything was in place; that included the date of Deidara's execution. Time was of the essence. He would act tomorrow night.

With that last resolution Itachi fell into a restless slumber.

As with all great plans, Itachi has forgotten to take several things into account. Even as he slept, forces were at work, slowly unravelling his carefully devised plot.

Konan marched on towards Konoha with an army at her back and hatred in her heart. The little village had put up more of a fight than expected, but the rain ninja had used the temporary truce well. Morale high, the forces whooped and sent torrents of rain splashing down through the night. A wide path of churned mud scarred the countryside where they had passed. Soon, they would be upon the hidden village once again.

Hundreds of miles away from both the army and Itachi, a teenage boy was racing through the darkness. Black hair whipping across his face, his red eyes gleamed dully in the starlight. He was scanning the land for somewhere to take shelter and sleep. It had been a long day of endless travelling, and he could feel his eyelids getting heavier. Spotting a suitable old tree, Sasuke sprung up through the air and landed nimbly on an ancient tree's wide limb. He curled himself up, waiting to drift off, through he knew his sleep would not be pleasant. Each time Orochimaru's lifeless body appeared in his dreams, and each time Naruto's grinning face came up, he would awake, drowning in despair. He had nowhere to go. His master was dead. He had heard of his brother's assassination by his own Akatsuki partner. Even Kisame was dead. He was left purposeless. Everything he had trained, fought and bled for had been taken from him. Useless, he had sent himself to aimlessly wander across the lands, until he had found himself wandering back to Konoha.

The though of returning to his life as a leaf Genin terrified him, but what choice did he have? Perhaps he wouldn't be accepted back into the village at all. He had slain a hated enemy, but he had betrayed the village. Perhaps his crimes would outweigh his "good deed" in the eyes of the people. He had no idea what he was heading back to, but he was going back.

The next day dawned sunny and clear. The weather held as the morning wore on, oblivious to the events the day would bring. Itachi spent the day hunkered down in his cave, listening to his own shallow breaths. His pale fingers absentmindedly traced his scars, the remainders of the wounds that such a short time ago had almost ended his life. He would not fail.

The day dawned clear and bright. The sun shone brightly overhead, giving no indication of the fear and lurking danger present in the Fire Country.

At the first light Sasuke opened his eyes and wearily hauled himself up to a sitting position. He took a moment to stretch his stiff muscles and take a drink for him canteen. He was, after all, in no hurry to reach his destination. When he could find no more reason to procrastinate he threw himself onto the next tree branch, and then the next, until he was hurtling back towards his birthplace at breakneck speed.

Meanwhile, Konan's armies marched steadily until nightfall. They had yet to reach Konoha, but their target grew closer with each step.

Itachi spent a restless day in his makeshift hideaway, waiting for the sun to set. Minutes dragged by until Itachi thought he would go insane. At long last, faint traces of pink graced the afternoon sky, and Itachi silently began making his way to Konoha.

Sakura sighed and pried herself up off the window sill. She had been staring into the brilliant red sunset - another day's end. One more day of Deidara's precious life over. Painful thoughts descended on her like moths to a flame. Fighting against her tears, she slammed down the window and turned away, heading for her bed on the opposite side of the room.

Sakura's thin body slumped onto her firm mattress and she rolled onto her back, staring blankly at the ceiling. It was a little game she played with her head. She would gaze into that blank surface, just contemplating the ridges and shadows the of the ceiling until she slipped into a kind of trance. It took her mind away from the situation at hand. She was just starting to let her mind escape when she absentmindedly folded her hands across her stomach. Instantly, her eyes flew open and she rolled over on her side with a curse. It had been over two months since she had been pulled from the tent in the woods. Her hands had felt the very shyest hint of a bump forming on her middle .Fantastic. A reminder of Deidara right on her own body.

Sakura flipped to her other side irritably. There was just no escape. A breeze hit her face and she jumped up irritably. The window was open; she could've sworn she'd closed it just a moment ago. Storming across the room, she seized the windowsill in both hands and slammed it down. Then she turned on her heel and came face to face with Itachi.

"Do you find all open windows this upsetting, or is this one just particularly offensive?" Itachi droned. Sakura gaped at him, open-mouthed. Itachi chuckled darkly.

"Whatever the case, I can safely assure you that you will never see that window again after tonight."

**A/N: FINALLY!! I've been trying to get this chapter up for ages!! I can only hope it was worth the wait. I can't see there being another huge wait for the next chapter - I think I'm finally back on track with the storyline.**

**After all that trouble, I'd really like to know what you think. This story keeps branching off from my original plan - I need feedback, my lovely readers. Thank you.**


	14. Journey of the Heart

**Disclaimer: If I don't own Naruto by now, I don't think I ever will. Funny how that works.**

**A/N: I had to get this chapter up quickly. I just couldn't have another long break between chapters. **

Sakura couldn't believe it. One moment she had been lying on the bed, feeling trapped inside her room, her body, her life, and the next moment she was face to face with her only hope of freedom. She took a shaky step towards Itachi; she could see her vision was blurring.

"You look awful." Itachi informed her in a dull voice. Sakura let out a watery laugh and stumbled forward to embrace Itachi, but he held her off.

"No, really. I don't think you understand how awful you look. If you hadn't saved my life, I would never rescue anything as pathetic looking as you." Itachi explained dryly. Had Sakura been her usual self, this remark would have been met with a good, hard punch. But Sakura was in no position to consider doing such a thing.

Strong hands guided Sakura gently, but firmly into the nearest bathroom. Mentally, Sakura reeled at the face staring back. Weeks of fitful sleep haunted by unwanted dreams had painted huge black circles under her eyes. Her fried pink hair hung in limp, greasy strands over her unnaturally pale face. Her green irises seemed to have a hard time focusing, and instead of beginning to gain weight, she had slimmed down to almost nothing. Itachi frowned.

"You should be taking better care of yourself. You have to consider the baby. It's already the offspring of Deidara; please, don't make the poor thing suffer any worse than that." Itachi chided her. Sakura's lifeless eyes widened.

"How do you…." She began. Itachi blinked, and she found herself looking into two red, spinning eyes.

"Right." was all she could say to that.

Itachi's eyes went back to their normal hue as he stood there considering the poor wretch in front of him. All of a sudden, he seized her by the back of the head and plunged her face down into the full water basin. He pulled her back up a moment later, dripping and spluttering. Just as she opened her mouth to protest, he had grabbed a bar of soap and worked the lather roughly into her hair, and repeated the full head dunk. Soap and water streaming, she was pulled out again. She tried feebly to wipe her eyes, but met only the blunt end of Itachi's kunai as he raised it to her face. Before she knew what was happening, lock after lock of her wet hair was falling to the floor. Sakura flinched away from the sharp blade so close to her face, but Itachi grabbed her firmly by the top of the head and managed to continue hacking away one-handed.

Finally, Itachi pushed her head back underwater, wiped off the blade of his kunai and dragged her limp form out. Sakura gasped for air and found herself with a mouthful of towel. A minute or so of painfully rough towel-drying later, Itachi ceased his cleanup efforts to admire his handiwork. Sakura took an opportunity to look in the mirror and almost fell over with shock. Her ghostly complexion had been scrubbed to an almost healthy pink glow; it made the deep black circles under her eyes less noticeable. Those long greasy strands of hair were no longer a problem - Sakura's hair now stood out in short pink chunks. The cold water had thrown her green eyes wide open, and they blinked rapidly as she stared at herself in amazement.

She looked just like her old self.

Wheeling about to face Itachi, she opened her mouth to say something. But she forgot what it was. And suddenly she had forgotten what was going on and before she knew it, everything was black.

Itachi allowed himself a smirk. Heartache really didn't suit Sakura; it had changed her from a strong, confident kunoichi to a weak, swooning girl. He had been right to come rescue her - the poor thing clearly couldn't function in this state. Oh well. Unconscious or not, they had to stick to the plan. Stooping down, Itachi heaved Sakura up and tossed her over his shoulder like so much deadweight.

And then they were gone, off into the night.

Nobody noticed the pair as they darted along the rooftops of Konoha. Itachi's footfalls made no more noise than those of a cat, even with a young woman awkwardly nestled in his arms. Only a faint silhouette of the missing-nin was visible against the vast, black sky. Itachi made the final hop onto the village wall, poised there for a moment and then dropped down over the edge. Feet hit ground and instantly, they were off.

Had Sakura been awake, she would have been terrified by the sheer speed they were travelling at. The branches and trees were rocketing by, blurred into a shapeless indistinctive mass of foliage to any without the sharingan.

The day wore on, and the scenery never changed. Indeed, it took some time for Itachi to notice that the sun's light had all but faded into the darkness. All movement came to a sickening sudden stop as Itachi firmly planted his feet on the next branch. Then he gingerly leaped to the ground and set the still-sleeping Sakura down to rest while he set up a makeshift camp. As an afterthought, he tugged his heavy Akatsuki cloak off and tossed it over Sakura.

Sakura stirred from her deep sleep; she blearily clutched at Itachi's cloak, still drowsy.

"Deidara?" she murmured, puzzled. Itachi heard her soft voice from only a few steps away, but he did not turn to her.

"Mine." was all he said before walking away.

Later that night, Sakura sat up watching Itachi sleep. Having spent the day unconscious, she wasn't particularly tired; instead of resting, she was watching the eldest Uchiha brother gently inhaling and exhaling. Itachi's face was relaxed in sleep and with the deep stress lines smoothed, he bore a remarkable resemblance to Sasuke. One sharp tug, then another, wrenched on Sakura's heartstrings.

Sakura loved Deidara; she really did. She was risking her life, betraying her village and destroying her career to save his life, all while carrying his child. Such an act could be performed for no reason less than love. And while she had put Sasuke behind her, the infatuation was hard to forget. She had been carving herself out to fit him for years - since childhood, Sakura's fierce and lasting love for Sasuke had moulded her until it had become a part of her. Her feelings for Deidara were foremost in her heart, but lately, thoughts of their ill-fated relationship sent Sakura spiralling into an abyss of despair. Mentally and emotionally, she needed an escape.

Sakura felt a sudden twinge in her stomach. It could have been the baby, it could have been a memory of happier times with Deidara coming back to haunt her. Whatever the case, she felt immediate guilt for straying from loyalty to Deidara. Nevertheless, Sakura spent the remainder of that sleepless night perched next to Itachi, just taking in his sleeping form until the dawn.

The next few days passed in much the same fashion, with Sakura spending the nights battling herself as she watched Itachi sleep. By day, Itachi carried the sleeping Sakura through the woods at terrifying speeds. They made steady progress through the land of fire and grew steadily closer to the capitol where Deidara was held.

It was midnight, and Sakura was awake again. She knew she really should be sleeping; they would arrive in the capital that evening. Itachi sighed in his sleep and all thoughts of slumber were immediately lost. Sakura struggled with her own misery - they were going to rescue Deidara tomorrow. What would happen when she saw him again? She had been trying her hardest not to give in to Itachi's perfect Uchiha looks. Would Deidara drive the Konoha clan from her mind entirely, or would the sight of him only tear her more?

Sakura came out of her daze and looked down at Itachi, only to realize he was not there. She stared at the spot where he had been a moment before. The sounds of strange voices sounded outside the tent. Sakura's heart began to race.

Perhaps she would never have the chance to make a decision at all.

**A/N: Finally! Another chapter completed! I apologize for reviewing so infrequently, but it cannot be helped. **

**I've been devoting a lot of time to my Naruto fan flash lately - I'll be sure to post the link when it's done. To anybody who's a fan of my "Fuzzy Handcuffs: A Tale of Woe" story….well, you'll particularly enjoy it. **

**Go ahead and hit that review button - if you've been following the story this far and readingg all my obnoxious notes, you know I've been having trouble with the direction of this fic…give me a hand, my lovely readers. **

**If I promised a quick update, I would be a filthy liar…let's go with an exciting update coming sometime in the future. Does that work?**


	15. Ally

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I still do not own the zillion-dollar franchise that is Naruto. **

**A/N: I'm trying to update quickly, I really am. Have patience with me. **

They should have realized things were going too smoothly.

Itachi stood tied to a tree, just out of reach of the dawn's first rays, and pondered how this unpleasant scenario could have come to be. A quick glance to his left revealed an impenetrable wall of Rain ninjas. The situation to his right was much the same. No matter.

But before Itachi could unleash the full fury of the sharingan on the hapless ninja, he found his vision obscured by a sheet of paper across his face, then another, and then another obscuring his view. There was a sharp gust of wind and suddenly the papers were a hand, pressing a blindfold over his eyes.

"Hello Konan." Itachi drawled as a sharp tug at the back of his head let him know that the blindfold was secure.

"Kisame sends his regards." she replied lightly.

Itachi was not fooled; more than a hint of madness coloured her words. Kisame was most certainly dead.

"Hm." was all he could say.

"I was coming to invite you to the funeral," Konan began ," but then I realized, if I have to bury two…."

Itachi felt her cold fingers slide up his chest the nape of his neck. Two dead? Who else had fallen?

"…why not finish the job and bury them ALL?" Konan screeched. She delivered a sharp blow to the side of Itachi's head, and he was momentarily stunned.

Suddenly, there was a quiet rustling from behind Itachi. Sakura. He could tell by the absence of more pain that Konan had stopped to listen too. Light footfalls moved away from Itachi and headed towards the bewildered sleepy noises of Sakura.. There came a small cry of protest and then the sound of what could only be Konan dragging Sakura over to Itachi. Sure enough, there was the thump of Sakura's body striking the ground at Itachi's feet .

"Who is this?" Konan demanded. Sakura's green eyes widened in confusion and fear. Low murmurs and the clinks of kunai rose over the surrounding ninja.

"She's Deidara's!" Itachi shouted, and the noises ceased , "She's on her way to save Deidara from his execution."

Konan's eyes softened, and some of the uncontrollable grief receded. Ninja or no, she knew what it was to love passionately and to risk oneself for another.

"Are you now?" She asked Sakura quietly. Sakura's gaze and hands unconsciously dropped to her belly and she nodded quickly. Konan noticed the motion to Sakura's midsection; understanding hit a moment later. The poor thing.

Gently, Konan pulled the trembling Sakura to her feet. With kindly eyes, she took in the sight of the terrified girl. Then suddenly, her head snapped back to Itachi and she regarded the eldest Uchiha with her usual cold gaze.

"Watch him!" Konan commanded her followers. Without another word, she gathered Sakura in her arms and leaped into the trees directly above their heads.

Awkward minutes passed for Itachi. From somewhere overhead came the low murmur of female voices. The occasional sob or peal of delicate laughter drifted down through the trees. Ninja soldiers cleared their throats and shifted their weight, unsure of how to deal with the female bonding moment going on overhead; there was no ninja school around that could tech them how to deal with women.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Konan and Sakura came rocketing back to earth. Firm, confident hands ripped away Itachi's blindfold and he stared blinking in amazement at the Sakura who stood before him.

This was not the Sakura he had found slowly wasting away in her room. This was not the Sakura he had pulled gasping from the water basin. This was not even the Sakura he had been trekking across the country with up until now. The girl standing in front of him had a fiery gleam in her eye unlike anything he'd seen before. She stood with feet firmly planted, muscles already tensed for what might lay ahead. She looked like a true Kunoichi on a mission.

Sakura felt the best she had felt in a long time. In such a short while, she had gone from misery and fear to absolute confidence. When Konan had first pulled her up into the trees, she felt sue she was to be killed up there. But Konan had surprised her; she had set Sakura gently down on a study tree limb and curled up opposite her. For minutes on end, Sakura had rambled, pouring out her story and her heart to this woman she barely knew. Then to Sakura's further amazement, Konan had let her own tale tumble out. The young women were in situations that meant they could never be friends, but they shared an understanding. For the first time since Deidara's capture, Sakura had someone she knew she could trust.

Back on the ground, Konan whispered something in the ear of the nearest ninja, and to the former leaf ninja's collective amazement, the entire Rain army appeared to evaporate into the sky. Konan grinned.

"My own technique." she explained "When I need them, I can make it rain men."

The pun was lost on Itachi.

Sakura turned to the Uchiha brother and began to speak gently. She knew that the slightest misunderstanding could leave their newfound companion nailed to an imaginary cross.

"Itachi, you already know Konan. She's on our side. You have to understand, Itachi; Pein is dead. " She began. Itachi's expression twitched slightly at the news, and the faint red glimmer behind his irises dimmed.

"Kisame was Pein's killer."

The lines of Itachi's face hardened. Once again, Itachi's life had been endangered by his mutinous partner. A suddenly weak voice interjected from under a sheet of blue hair.

"We hunted Kisame down already. He was headed towards the Village Hidden Among the Rock. We brought him down before he even made it out of the country. You've been his partner for years, Itachi, and Kisame's never been much of a leader. I had to assume you were behind all this. I'm sorry." Konan hung her head. Itachi continued to glare wordlessly, but Sakura knew him well enough to know that there was no anger in this look. He simply had an image to uphold.

"Let's go." he finally grunted. In mere moments, Sakura had the temporarily forgotten campsite packed up and the three were off, racing through the trees.

Sakura took a deep breath of fresh air. Within one day, either her love would be free….or she would die with him. A sidelong glance at Konan was all the resolution she needed. She could not exist as an empty shell as her new Akatsuki companion did every day.

Dusk was just setting in as a lone, hooded figure trudged up the muddy road. Slipping through the open village gates, the young man came to a standstill a the edge of the Hokage tower's shadow. He had run. He had won. He had failed. He had died. He had escaped. He had chosen.

Sasuke was home.

**A/N: I apologize for the long delays between chapters. Like I said, I've been pouring tens of hours into my first solo fan flash. I'll post you all a link when it's finished - I expect you to check it out!**

**Be sure to slip me a quick review! This story's headed off in it's own direction at this point. Hope you enjoyed this and my future updates. **


	16. According to Plan

**Disclaimer: At this point, I'm not even worried about getting sued. I just enjoy putting in disclaimers. **

**A/N: I would like to take this time to thank you all for your patience. I'm updating as fast as I can. For those of you who have ever enrolled in the IB program, you know my pain.**

Before all else, they needed a plan.

Itachi, Sakura and Konan were huddled in the bushes, their whispers barely audible over the din of the nearby capital city.

"Okay" Konan hissed "So here's what's going to happen. My army will march on Konoha as planned. In the confusion, neither the Hokage nor the Akatsuki should figure out that we've taken off together. If we're lucky, Konoha will fall and, in the aftermath, everyone will forget all about the situation with Deidara and Sakura."

Sakura visibly flinched at the mention of her hometown's likely defeat. Konan fixed her with a hard gaze.

"Sakura, it's Konoha or Deidara. I think we can all see you've made your choice." Konan motioned meaningfully towards Sakura's midsection. The girl flushed and bowed her head in apology.

"As I was saying" Konan continued "In the aftermath of my attack, people will forget about Deidara's escape. Itachi and I will slip back into our lives in Akatsuki.; you and Deidara may start a new life together. You may live out your days as rogues, but you will have a chance at happiness. If al this goes well, Sakura, you will never see myself or Itachi ever again."

Sakura nodded sadly; Itachi offered no response.

"It's settled then. So how do we get in?" Sakura asked quietly.

Konan glared upwards through the leaves into the bright daylight .

"We wait until dusk. Then I have a plan."

The details of Konan's plan unfolded for the rest of the morning. But for as long as she talked, Konan could not waste away the entire day. When every meticulous detail was finally implanted firmly in her head, Sakura curled up on the warm grass. Thinking of the evening's objective would cause nothing but stress. Better to let her mind drift off into peaceful, sleepy thoughts.

Itachi crouched down on the grass like a feral animal. He knew he would have no chance of sleeping. Idly, he observed Sakura's sleeping form; the realization that he was never to see her again brought him the closest thing to sadness he could muster. Though Sakura was young and relatively inexperienced, she had an age-old wisdom that let her see past politics and boundaries and lines on a map. Itachi knew that he would likely never meet another person who saw him as a person, and not a worthless tool of Akatsuki.

Itachi tore his eyes away from her. He had already experience more emotion than he could handle. Instead, he let his eyes drift upwards, up through the trees, until they came to stop on a dark figure huddled miserably on a branch. Wondering if women were the key to breaking down a ninja's emotional barriers, Itachi swiftly ascended the tree until he was level with Konan.

Neither of them made any noise in greeting. Perhaps there was hope for ninjas after all.

Several minutes of silence followed. Finally, Itachi had to ask the question that had been plaguing his mind all day.

"Konan." He began. She made no motion to show that she's heard him.

"Konan, I don't understand. When you captured me, you said that you had been attacking Konoha as a way to get at me. Now that you've avenged Pein's death, why continue to attack?" Itachi asked softly. Konan sighed softly, but remain perfectly still for a moment or two. Without turning her head, she finally answered.

"I have lost my chance at happiness. Pein is dead. I can never hope to replace him. But that girl still has a chance at a happy life. She has no hope of returning to a normal ninja career. She has lost her place in her village. But she carries a child, and its father is not yet dead. Should Deidara die, her life will go to ruins. But if he can be rescued, she can lead a life happier than any ninja can hope for. I have lost my reason for being; defending her happiness will become my new purpose."

Itachi observed the face under wisps of blue hair with quiet admiration. Though he had firmly killed his own emotions, he retained respect for those that were able to maintain emotion and sanity in their line of work.

"Very well." He said, standing. To an outside, it seemed a cold exchange, but a ninja hardened by years in the Akatsuki could see the finalizing of an alliance. Itachi and Konan could be sure that the other would not betray.

Somebody was shaking Sakura. She opened her eyes slowly, reluctant to leave the serenity of sleep. Her senses quickly returned and she sprung to her feet, grasping around for a weapon. The fate of this mission would determine the entire course of her life. She could not fail.

Konan pressed Sakura's utility belt into her hand and Sakura fastened it eagerly. The weight of metal weapons felt good; it felt natural. Deft fingers rolled a kunai back and forth. This was what Sakura had been trained to do, and she did it well.

They were ready.

Everything was falling into place. Konan and Itachi slid out of their Akatsuki robes and stood in plainer black garb. Not a word passed between them as the trio snaked over roofs and through alleys. Sakura had little idea of where they were, but she followed the other two faithfully.

They were just across the street from the country's highest-security prison when the gates rattled open with a resounding "crash". A small, but heavily armoured van trundled out onto the capital city's old cobbled streets. It was obvious that the car was being used to transport a prisoner; a hand clung to the vehicle's barred windows, and a second hand was outstretched to the gate guards.

The outstretched hand was sticking it's tongue out at the guards.

Sakura gasped. At her sides, the others stiffened slightly. From down below, the gate guard's voices carried up to the rooftops.

"Eh, wasn't 'e that Deidara bloke?" the first one inquired.

"Sure is. 'Eeard they're finally takin' 'im to the execution clinic uptown." the second replied.

"About time, eh? That fellow gives me the creeps, always frightened me, that one did."

"Well no wonder! Did ya see the mouths on that bugger?"

The two guard laughed heartily while Sakura's heart sank. They had come too late. Deidara was already headed for death.

Before she even had time to process that though, someone had scooped her up under the arm and was carting her across the rooftops. She was airborne for a moment or two, and then standing on an unsteady metal plane. Sakura didn't need years of training to figure out that Itachi and Konan had leaped on to the truck.

Things had strayed woefully far from the plan.

**A/N: There you have it. I had to smuggle my notebook though math classes, history lessons and the like, but I got it finished. I'm quite pleased with the way this is turning out.**

**That said, I will try my best to keep the updates coming. Between my fan flash (which eats up most of my spare time), school, karate and the allure of sweet, sweet MSN, my chapters tend to be...infrequent. I thank you all for your patience.**

**Reviews are always great, a little bit of nagging keeps me writing….I fear your wrath…**

**On a related note, I recently posted a short, quirky story called "Sasuke, Orochimaru and Some Funky Body Glitter." It's not much, but I'm quite proud of it. I encourage checking it out, as the response to it has been…disappointing to say the least….**

**That's all from me for now, see you in Chapter 17!**


	17. Driven by Memory

Disclaimer: I am not an old Japanese man; I am a pathetic fan girl. Therefore, I do not own this series.

A/N: I'm so terribly, terribly sorry for the long delay between chapters, but I have a valid excuse this time! You see, I went and installed Mozilla Firefox, and later the same day my poor computer contracted no less than 48 viruses. Oops. I've only just gotten this thing functioning properly again. My bad.

**Anyways…**

**I realize I have a lot of loose ends to tie up with this story, and that's exactly what I am going to do right now. Prepare for lots of Sasuke back-story. Not that any of you mind…**

Sasuke shivered, though he was not cold. Being back in his home village felt eerie to him; so much had happened and yet the place still looked more or less the same. He could see the Hokage tower rising up over the other buildings. Off in the distance was the water tower he and Naruto had once destroyed. Immediately to his left was the ramen shop where Naruto usually ate, and off to his right he caught a glimpse of the trees that kept watch over the bench where he had once laid Sakura's unconscious body. But it was not just the things he could see that bothered him – it was the things he couldn't.

There was no one about. Usually, the village was bustling with activity at any time of the day or night. Now, it was as still and silent as the meekest ghost town. Even the shops were closed. This was more unusual, and it sent further chills racing down Sasuke's spine. For so long, he had lived in dark, gloomy, terrible conditions with Orochimaru and now it seemed the misery was following him. He swayed on his feet as cold memories of those awful days swam to the surface of his mind.

_He was in a white room with a black stone floor, and it was freezing. He didn't feel right…they had done something to him but he couldn't remember what it was. He tried to sit up, but something stopped him. What was it? Sasuke fought hard to regain control of his senses. Ah. Now he felt the rough ropes on his wrists, but only for a moment. Instead, he lay back and struggled to make the connection between the rope and his inability to sit up. Perhaps, he mused, I'm tied down. Yes, that must be it._

_Deep in the back of his mind, Sasuke could feel an inexplicable rage burning. He knew he was angry, and he knew he had a reason to be angry, but his clouded and foggy mind wouldn't allow him to remember what it was. The more he struggled to recall what terrible deeds had led to his being tied down in the cold, the further the answer seemed to sink into the foggy recesses of his mind. Sasuke quickly gave up, and instead tried to figure out exactly where he was. _

_The noises he heard were distorted and echoed strangely, as though he were underwater. For a moment he thought he could make out the whirs and beeps of some sort of machinery. He wasn't sure, but he thought he could also hear the mutterings and footfalls of someone else in the room. Desperately, squinted in a vain attempt to focus his eyes. Nona of his senses seemed to be responding. It was cold, so very cold and then it was nothing. _

_Sasuke let out a groan and his eyes flew open. After a few solid shakes of his head the cobwebs seemed to clear and he knew that whatever they had given him had worn off. Kabuto's dull voice resounded through the tiny room. _

"_I see you're awake." He drawled lifelessly "That's easy enough to fix…"_

_Kabuto moved out of Sasuke's field of view and started to tinker with something that made faint metallic clinks. When Sasuke craned his neck, he could see Kabuto flicking the vial of a syringe. Panic set in. Sasuke had no desire to be back under the effects of whatever that dull green drug was. Though his first instinct was to yell and scream, he soon realized that that would do him no good. Instead, he took a deep breath and did his best to distract his keeper and delay the process. _

"_What is that?" he growled, biting back his rage._

"_Oh, this? Don't you remember? We talked about this." Kabuto chirped back, far too much cheer in his voice. _

"_If I remembered, would I ask?"_

"_Hmm. I suppose not." Kabuto replied flatly "Fine. It's a special drug I developed for Orochimaru. You see, when he takes over a body, he retains some of what that person was in life. If he were to take over you as you are, he would inherit all that pent-up anger and angst from that unpleasant business with your family. Not to mention he would wake up from the transfer with a desire to kill Itachi. That will never do; we decided it would be best if those things were just erased from your body. So that's what this drug is for. It's slowly erasing every memory you've ever had, and to do so, it draws power from your curse seal. Keeping your curse seal open like that will drain away the last of your personality. By the time Orochimaru is ready for the transfer, you will be nothing but an empty Uchiha ninja shell."_

_Sasuke bared his teeth and let out a feral growl. Kabuto shifted and adjusted his glasses, but said nothing. _

"_What about my goals? You said you would let me kill my brother before the transfer took place!" Sasuke shouted. Kabuto slowly grinned._

"_Change of plans."_

"_What?"_

"_It's too risky. If you were to be killed trying to destroy Itachi, all would be lost for Orochimaru. No, it's much better to do things this way. Just lie back and relax, Sasuke. Before long you won't even remember you have a brother."_

_It was then that Sasuke had snapped. He was being tricked out of a meaningful life, and he wasn't about to let them get away with that. Kabuto took a step towards the boy with needle in hand, and the fear that action induced was enough. Summoning a surge of strength and terror, Sasuke ripped one of his hands free from the gurney he was lying on. Kabuto jumped backwards in horror, dropping the syringe in the process. _

"_Now, now Sasuke, there's no reason to be afraid…" He started. Sasuke firmly ignored him and tore his other hand lose. The bonds about his ankles came free easily and before Kabuto had time to react, Sasuke was off the table, out of the room and tearing through the halls. _

_It was only after Sasuke had gone that Kabuto realized he had never heard the needle hit the floor. _

_Doors flew by, none the right one. Sasuke was skidding around a corner when he ran headlong into Orochimaru. The older man drew back with a start. _

"_Why, Sasuke, aren't you…" he began, but he stopped abruptly as he felt something sharp slide under his skin. Sasuke jumped back, holding the now-empty syringe triumphantly aloft. Orochimaru's eyes widened, as he comprehended what his protégé had done, but before he could react, he felt the drug grip his borrowed body. _

_Flailing, Orochimaru tumbled to the stone floor; his face slid into a weary expression and Sasuke knew that he too was fighting off the sickly drowning sensation with little success. The boy's deft fingers lifted a small dagger from his master's weapons pouch. Footsteps sounded behind Sasuke and he knew he had precious little time until Kabuto burst in on the scene. Sasuke leaned over Orochimau's face and gently closed his unseeing eyes. He didn't want to look at that blank glaze. Then quickly and efficiently, he slit his master's throat. _

_Blood pooled across the stone floor, but Sasuke had little time to think about that. He was off again, dashing through the halls, up stairs and through doors, desperate to make it out of this village once and for all. His feet left smudged, bloody tread marks in his wake. _

_Sasuke was not yet out the front door when he heard Kabuto's strangled cry. Sasuke was not the medic Kabuto was, but he knew the wound was too deep and in too vital of a location for Kabuto to save his mentor. Besides, the drug had already taken its toll and Orochimaru's curse seal would be open, draining Orochimaru of chakra. There was nothing anyone could do for Orochimaru now; he was most certainly dead. _

_Sasuke had continued out the front door and beyond, running, running, running but going nowhere. He knew only what he was escaping from – where he was running to seemed to be of little importance. But before long, Sasuke realized that the paths and trees he was taking seemed familiar. Suddenly, he realized he was on hi sway back to Konoha, and that knowledge startled him so that he tripped and ran headlong into a tree. He shook his head, not believing where he was going. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He had no place among the Sound ninja, and he couldn't gain the power he needed on his own. The Akatsuki may yet hear of Orochimaru's death, and he wasn't ready to face them just yet. Konoha were the most forgiving of all the hidden villages. News of the war had reached Sasuke, and he knew they would be desperate for help. Perhaps it was time for a homecoming. The worst they could do was jail him. _

_Beside, he had sort of missed his old teammates._

Sasuke shuddered again; that was not a pleasant memory. Yet, he was glad he had any memories at all. He knew he couldn't just stand about in the streets looking lost. He had to go somewhere, let someone know he was here. The Hokage's office was his best bet. With an increasingly heavy heart and anxious tremble, he set off for the building and climbed up the long staircase to the top. The heavy wood door stood in front of him, his last protection from his old friends. Steeling himself, he put on his best blank face and knocked firmly on the door. A woman's voice answered.

"Come in."

Sasuke did as he was told. For a moment or two the blonde woman behind the desk did not look up, but when she did, her eyes grew wide and she choked on the draw of sake she had just taken. Spluttering furiously, she leaped up from desk and flew across the room, seizing Sasuke firmly around the neck.

Perhaps, he thought, this wasn't such a great idea.

A/N: I've been meaning to finish this chapter for so long, and it feels great to have it finally done. I keep seeing new alert subscriptions in my inbox, and now I don't feel quite so guilty about making you all wait. Ahh.

**Wow. I didn't mean for that flashback to carry on quite so long, but whatever…the story is in control of itself more than I am. **

**Anyways, I love reviews, and I see that there is now a lovely green review button right at the bottom of the page. Do me a favour and press it. Yell at me for taking such a long time, nag me to get the next one up, I don't care. Speak to me, my readers. **


	18. One More Mission

**Disclaimer: Guess what? I own Naruto! No, wait, wait, my mistake…I don't…**

**A/N: I love how I launch into an obligatory author's note before and after every chapter. At least I'm not one of those authors whose note is longer than the actual chapter. Consider yourselves lucky. **

You should know what I am starting this chapter the day after posting chapter 17. Whether it goes up anytime soon remains to be seen. I have a huge Chemistry final in two weeks and I haven't handed in any homework since September. Not a single assignment. I have a bit of catching up to do, so we shall see…

Sasuke was surprised by the Hokage's sudden fury, but he did his best not to show it. He never once flinched and even as she held onto him, he never once squirmed under her iron grip. Tsunade's trained fingers, however, quickly picked up on his racing pulse.

"Sasuke." She growled, but said nothing else. An uneasy pause ensued, and Sasuke took the opportunity to tentatively plead his case.

"I'm not here as an enemy to Konoha." he began. Tsunade's grip loosened, but she did not release the boy. Sasuke began again.

"I killed Orochimaru. I've come to rejoin my village now that that threat to it is dead."

This time, Tsunade let her hand slip from Sasuke's throat. Visibly shaken, she wandered over to her desk and downed a hearty slug of sake straight from the bottle. Her back was turned to Sasuke, and she wiped her mouth on her sleeve before taking a seat; by the time she had settled in her chair, the hard gaze she usually used had returned. Suddenly businesslike, she began to inquire Sasuke.

"Orochimaru is dead?" she asked.

"Yes."

"You're sure?"

"Positive." Sasuke growled, his temper wearing thin as he recounted the entire story. For a moment Tsunade's eyes blazed and she slammed her fist into the desk. Papers scattered and drifted about the room. All too quickly, Tsunade had lowered her head and began to shake visibly. Her breath came in ragged, unsteady gulps of air. Sasuke stood by and watched her, motionlessly, his recounts of past horrors echoing through the tiny room.

When at last she had composed herself, Tsunade put her quick tactical mind to use. There was nothing to be gained by imprisoning the boy – if it turned out that what he said was true, the villagers would turn on her in a heartbeat for imprisoning a hero. No, it was better to put the boy's great talents to use. But how? He could not be trusted to fight for the village. For all she knew, he was a double agent of Orochimaru's, helping to guide his master's vile plans. She had a much better way to make use of Sasuke's skills.

"Sasuke!" she barked. Sasuke did not flinch away from the sudden sound, and Tsunade found this perfect emotionless barrier both admirable and unsettling. When Sasuke did not offer a response, she continued.

"Earlier this month, a renowned medic by the name of Sakura Haruno betrayed this village and fled, carrying in her the unborn child of a famous criminal who goes by the name Deidara." Tsunade studied Sasuke's face carefully while she relayed her instructions, and felt a warm relief wash over her when Sasuke showed a glimmer of recognition at his team-mate's name. Tsunade continued with her explanation.

"Deidara has been captured and is awaiting execution at the capital city as we speak. It is presumed that Sakura has headed there to attempt a rescue mission."

"What's the mission?" Sasuke asked, fighting back his interest.

"Find her. Retrieve her. Bring her back to this village, alive and relatively unharmed." Tsunade commended, "And that is an order! The girl is valuable as a medic, and talent like hers cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. She may yet return to this village, as you did."

Sasuke bowed his head sharply to show that he had understood, and backed out of the office door. Tsunade caught the last glimpse of his robe as he broke into a run. Suddenly feeling weary, she let her feet give out on her and she sunk down into the chair. With the air of someone defeated, her hands clenched the cork of her sake bottle firmly. The drink helped. It burned and soothed and clouded and spun until all her problems seemed like one big problem and then it all went away.

So Orochimaru was dead. Who would've thought? Tsunade thought back to the long hours she had spent as a girl with his face in her mind and his name on her lips. Oh, how she had longed…but each time he would brush her off without a second glance. Perhaps that was the whole reason she never gave up. She liked a challenge, and no one's heart could be more challenging than the cold, tangled labyrinth beating under Orochimaru's pale chest. But his death was really for the best. He had proved time and time again this his own twisted desires came before anyone or anything else. What a character he had been…

Tsunade may have been lost in thought in her office, but Sasuke's path was absolutely clear. Once again, he was going to have to rescue that ridiculous girl from herself. The corners of his mouth crept into a smirk. Oh, how familiar this was; really, it was as though he had never been away. But the reason he found himself out here was totally unacceptable. Why was Sakura doing being involved with such a notorious fiend as Deidara? Not to mention Deidara's prominent standing in that hated organization that kept Itachi dangling just out of his brother's reach.

It must all be a grave misunderstanding, he told himself. In a world where emotions were figuratively frowned upon, misunderstandings were common. Sakura could not have sunk so low as to fall in love with a hated criminal. No, she did not love him. She had been…oh, she had most definitely been raped. That cold-hearted bastard had preyed upon a famous, but helpless medical ninja. She had probably been in the midst of a surgery, right on the battlefield. Yes, there she was, brave, loyal Sakura with her arms covered up to the elbows in Konoha blood. Then suddenly, Deidara grabs her by the back of the shirt – no, he seizes her hair and drags her ruthlessly from her post – and quickly subdues the innocent warrior girl with few swift blows. Then it's too late, he's forcing himself on her, she screams but he covers her mouth with one of those awful, mutated hands.

Rage was building up in Sasuke, a rage that he had felt only once before, when he had slain his master.

Poor Sakura would have been ashamed, embarrassed, devastated, to learn that she was pregnant. So she had fled to the father of her child, hoping to regain some honour…no, not that, his Sakura was too feisty for that. She was probably headed there to give him a piece of her mind, to really let him have it for making such a mess of her life. It was going to be an easy mission. Sakura would see him and return to her old self, sassy but with need laced through every fibre of those wide, green eyes. Maybe if he hurried, she would even let him finish that cruel bastard off for her.

Though they had no way of knowing it, at that moment Sakura and Sasuke were both thinking of the same thing – familiarity. Sasuke was chasing it; each step he took brought him closer to Sakura and the life he had left behind, the life he had always been yearning for at the back of his mind all these years. Sakura was running from familiarity. She had seen the villager's accusing stares. At home waited only suffering; Sakura wanted a new life, every past hurt falling away in the face of a bright and glorious future.

The cart hit a particularly uneven patch of Cobblestone Street and Sakura was jolted from her thoughts. She teetered for a moment or two, but Konan was holding fast to her arm. Itachi turned around to face the two women, revealing the dark starts dancing on scarlet irises. Sharingan.

"Listen very closely, especially you, Sakura." Itachi breathed in a voice no louder then the sound of the wind rustling his hair. Straining their ears, Konan and Sakura listened raptly the new spontaneous plan.

"Do you understand?" he asked when he had come to the end of his scheme. Both girls nodded rapidly. Itachi stood up just as the cart began to slow. Tipping what would have been a wink on somebody less frightening, he launched himself off the top of the cart and onto the rooftop of the foreboding medical clinic they had arrived at. Sakura thought she heard the words "You know what to do." thrown back at her by the wind from Itachi.

She did know what to do. She knew very well. She was going to save Deidara or she would most certainly die trying.

**A/N: Not quite as quick as I would have hoped, but that chemistry course was a monster (if any of you out there are thinking of heading into the IB program, run. Run while you can. Escape with your childhood intact, I beg of you.). Anyways, I now have a lovely incentive to update quickly – the Sasuke plushie my boyfriend gave me inspires me to write. It' like he's watching me "Updaaaaaaaaaaate….updaaaaaaaaaaate…..or I'll kill you while you sleep…"**

**Dead creepy, really.**

**Well, I'm starting to get the loose ends of this story together, but fear not. This tragic tale is far from over. There is to be much more angst in the following chapters. Embrace the angst. **

**Fallen to Earth, if you pick out one sexual innuendo from this chapter, if you make one comment about my Orochimaru fantasies, so help me God, you will find your inbox filled with the nastiest smutty fan art I can find. You have been warned. **

**To the rest of you: hit that review button. You know you want to. C'mon, people, speak to me. It's all you, guys. Don't let me down here.**


	19. Chained in Pain

Disclaimer: I love you, "Naruto", but you are not mine…(Corpse Bride reference = win.)

A/N: To celebrate the completion of one minute of flash animation (actually, 62.8 seconds, to be exact), I've decided to grace the world with another chapter.

**Apparently none of you like the last one – you gave me one, one-word review. Ah well. But I am beginning to fear that I may be simply sending updates into empty cyberspace. **

**Granted, my last few chapters have been rather dull. I feel that it is time for more angst, blood, angst, gore, angst, drama and angst. Read on!**

Konan gave Sakura one last long, worried glance before she too vaulted from the cart's top and hit the street with silent feet. There was nothing left for Sakura to do now but wait. And what an agonizing wait it would be. Shivering with anxiety, Sakura dropped down flat against the vehicle's roof so as not to be seen.

The cart had rolled to a complete stop and now she could feel the bustling of people inside. Something solid slammed itself into the wall of the cart's holding bay and Sakura felt her stomach roll. It was Deidara; it had to be. Sakura had gravely underestimated the effect this stage of the plan would have on her. Guards flooded out from the building, flanked by nurses in white robes. The clanking of chains and clamour of voices echoed off the surface of the empty cobblestone streets.

There. Someone had cried out. It was Deidara; there was no way she could ever mistake that voice, even after going all this time without hearing it. Daggers of emotion ran Sakura through and a stifled sob sent tears cascading down her face.

A clanging of what sounded like Deidara pulling on his chains. A guard's startled yell. A heavy, metallic thump. Deidara's piercing scream.

Silent sobs wracked every inch of Sakura's body. The sound of that scream entered her body through her ears and crawled under her skin. She surely couldn't take much more of this.

Then the worst began. They were dragging him, kicking him; he was being herded toward his awaiting death like a lamb to the slaughter. Metal cuffs bit into Deidara's skin and he yelped pitifully. A particularly strong guard twisted Deidara's bindings mercilessly and he was thrown heartlessly from the holding bay and into Sakura's field of view.

He was stripped to the waist, and welts criss-crossed his bare back. On his knees now, he panted hard, pressing every defined rib of his skinny body against the skin. His long hair was matted and deep gash marks on the side of his face told a tale of his scope being heartlessly torn from his face. His heavy pants grew suddenly more rapid, and Deidara leaned over the sidewalk, retching. Instead of the contents of his stomach, a thick torrent of blood gushed over the walkway. A nurse started to step forward, but the nearest guard waved her off.

"Don't waste your time on this one; the skinny brute'll be out of his misery within the hour."

Sakura lost control of herself. She sprung to her feet, placing her trust in instinct. They were hurting him. He was sick and all to soon they were going to kill him. Itachi's plan no longer seemed feasible. She would jump down and take on the guards. Maybe she could win. Or maybe they would let her be killed with Deidara. She began to teeter in her stance, subconsciously preparing for the leap.

A kunai whistled through the air, starting Sakura from her deranged plan. A few strands of Sakura's hair fell free as the dagger skimmed through her hair and came to a stop in a wall across the street. None of the people on the street took any notice. A quick glance to the execution clinic's roof caught a glimpse of black cloak, and Sakura bowed her head in gratitude to Itachi's quick thinking.

The group were almost at the door by now; it was almost time. Nurses chattered away to each other as they followed the men into the building, blissfully unaware of the green-eyed ninja girl crouched on the armoured cart, choosing a victim from their ranks. The door swung open and nearly shut in steady succession, allowing bursts of cheerful and sombre conversation out into the street. Finally, most of the group had entered the building and Sakura had picked out her straggler.

The last nurse to head for the door was just about Sakura's height, perhaps a little taller. Dishevelled green hair stuck out in all directions, but the woman was to busy adjusting her thick glasses to smooth it. Eventually, the young nurse pulled her spectacles hastily fro, her face and began to frantically scrub them with the edge of her scrubs between her thumb and forefinger. When she finally slipped them back on, she was surprised to find a teenage girl, armed to the teeth, staring back at her.

"So sorry, " grimaced the pink-haired girl ", but I'm doing this for love."

Before the nurse had time to react, she was being dragged behind the bushes around the back of the building. A sharp blade was pulled swiftly and cleanly across her throat. For a moment there was a drowning sensation, and then the nurse realized that she couldn't feel anything at all.

Sakura watched nonchalantly as the nurse gurgled and gasped through her dying moments. Gently slipping her hand under the dying woman's neck, she clenched a fist around her throat and felt the snap of her spine. Sakura set to work, gingerly tipping the corpse to let the blood run off onto the grass. With the speed of a professional, Sakura stripped first her victim's body and then her own, pulling on the nurse's uniform in place of her usual clothing.

Sakura turned away, satisfied and heard a sickening crash. Itachi had hurled down the body of an unfortunate guard and it struck the naked woman's corpse dead on. Sakura rolled her eyes. Itachi liked to keep his messes contained and at a minimum. By the end of the rescue, there would be a neat little pile of cadavers back there.

Heart racing wildly, Sakura stepped back around dot the front of the building. With greatest caution, she tugged the front door open and slipped. So far so good. With more confidence, she strode into the clinic and located a sign directing her to the holding cells. It couldn't have been easier. Sakura threw up her head and forced her shoulders back. With that kind of a confident walk, nobody would question her presence here. Or, far more likely, they would be too distracted by her puffed-out chest to care.

The corridors grew gradually narrower and narrow, until she reached one that would surely fit no more than two people side-by-side. A reinforced door with a key card lock greeted her at the end. It only took a quick pat-down to locate the thin plastic card she needed tucked into the breast pocket of her shirt. A click sounded through the narrow passageway and Sakura stepped inside.

The high-security cell stank of disinfectant masking the scent of sweat and blood. The room was divided by a sheet of thick fibreglass with another key card-locked door. Past the fibreglass, she could see a dark lump huddled in the corner of the cell. Deidara!

Emotion overtook her and she pounded on the glass earnestly. At first Deidara looked up without interest; he soon recognized his visitor and made a leap for the wall. Something pulled him back, and Sakura heard his resulting shriek of pain through a tiny vent near the ceiling. Closer inspection revealed the entirety of Deidara's captivity, and Sakura drew back in horror.

Deidara's wrists were circled by thick metal cuffs with inward spikes that dug into his skin with every movement. Trails of dried blood were visible and fresh rivulets of blood dripped to the floor. His feet were bound together, and, worst of all, a thick ring had been driven through the cartilage between his nostrils. The ring was chained to the back wall, and Deidara's break for the wall had prompted another crimson wave from his already-swollen nose. Hatred seared through every fibre of Sakura's being. So this was how the Fire Nation treated criminals sentenced to death in their final hours!

The whole scene was wrong. Deidara, her sweet Deidara whose own flesh and blood was growing inside her at that very moment, did not deserve him. They couldn't treat him like this!

"I'm going to get you out!" She called to him. He nodded, and then winced from the pain of it. With a fierce determination, Sakura marched right up to the key card slot and shoved the stolen plastic card into it. The light beside the key slot flickered briefly, and glowed a steady red.

Access denied.

A/N: Ah, how I love cliffhangers. I simply adore them. It really is the best way to end a chapter. I'm hoping that was a bit more exciting than the countless flashbacks of late.

**Drink in the angst, my pretties, enjoy it. **

**Liking the direction of the story? Hating it? Comments? Got a really good pancake recipe? Hit the review button and tell me all about it. **


	20. A Desperate Rescue

**Disclaimer: The fact that Naruto has managed to maintain a PG-13 rating is a clear indication of the fact that I am not the owner. **

**A/N: Wow. 20 chapters, huh? I amaze myself with my own perseverance. This story has taken more chapters to tell than I originally predicted, and I'm not done yet. Hang in there, dear readers; you've come this far.**

**Ah, so many chapters filled with so much angst. It makes me proud. And it's going to get so much worse before we're done here. **

Sakura's heart plummeted when she saw that steady red light. Game over. Their plan had failed; they had been counting on the nurses having access to the holding cells, and had made a grave misassumption. Fighting back tears, she slammed her fist into the door, but it did not budge. From inside the cell, Deidara saw her start to panic and instinctively reached out to comfort her. Alas, the chains held him back and the ring bit even harder into his soft nose.

Failure was something Sakura could handle, but the sight of fresh blood dripping down her love's delicate face was beyond her capacity to cope with. Face alit with a whole new kind of rage she laid into the door harder, kicking and striking it with all her might. But the door was reinforced, and the building had chakra suppressing systems at work – Sakura found herself unable to call on her true strength. Face alighting with tears, she slid despondently down the length of the door.

Down the halls she could hear the hurried footsteps of what was surely a guard; Sakura despaired. All was lost.

Though she didn't realize it, Sakura was not as alone as she thought. Twin spinning red eyes looked on from the nearest circulation vent. As the door swung open, Itachi took action.

"What's going on here, WHAT IS THA…?" The guard bellowed, but stopped. He had seen Itachi poke his head out of the vent, and had been ensnared by those red eyes. Meanwhile, Sakura cowered on the floor.

"Why ain't you down in the execution chamber, miss?" the guard asked. Sakura's head shot up at the change of tone in his voice. The man had taken on a slightly dazed look.

"I…what?" she asked, in spite of herself.

"The execution chamber. Aren't you the one that's supposed to be finishing this bugger off?" he continued, nodding towards the broken Deidara. In spite of her emotional state, Sakura knew an opportunity when she saw one.

"Yes, right, that's me. I just wanted to…taunt the prisoner a bit before we…kill him." Sakura explained. Even as she lied, the words tasted cold in her mouth.

"Good fun." The guard nodded agreeably, then motioned for Sakura to step aside, "Well, time to be hauling this one off to meet his end, don'tcha say? You run along to the execution chamber and I'll be right there with this one."

"Don't hurt him." Sakura murmured to herself and hurried away before the guard could notice her tears.

Many miles away, Sasuke was hurrying to the scene. Branches whipped his face, but he paid them no heed. He was on a mission. Rescue Sakura.

This mission meant more to Sasuke than anybody realized. Thoughts were churning in his twisted mind, spitting out an ever more deranged line of thoughts. I have to rescue my team mate. My team mate, Sakura. My Sakura. She belongs to me. I have to take her back. She's mine. I will take her back. I will have her. Sasuke had been desperately grasping for some hold on Konoha, and here he had found it. Sakura. In the wake of his shattered childhood, Sasuke was hungry for some scrap of his happier past, and yearned for a bond with another human being after so many years of dependency on Orochimaru. Sakura was perfect; she loved him, she knew him and she would look after him. Somehow, on route to the nation's capital, Sasuke fixed his heart on a goal much greater than mission success.

Back at the capital, a real nurse was preparing for an execution. All of her needles and poisons were neatly laid out. The bright lamps were adjusted just the way she liked them. A fresh white sheet of sanitary paper was lovingly splayed on the table. The young nurse has just finished scrubbing her hands when a stray sheet of paper fluttered in from the air vent. The woman scurried to pick it up. Then there was another sheet. And another. And another. A veritable blizzard of parchment was whirling through the tiny office.

Suddenly those papers started to assemble themselves. Each one seemed know its place and they slipped seamlessly into one another, taking life, gaining shape.

Konan's terrifying figure stood before the young nurse. The lady opened her mouth to scream, but it was all over before any noise could come out. Konan tiptoed over the ventilation grate and knocked on it gingerly.

"Itachi…I've got another one here. This one isn't very heavy." She whispered into the metal abyss. Itachi's voice responded in a low growl.

"Leave it just inside the duct, I'll get it later."

Konan did as she was told, and hoisted the lifeless body of the former medical worker into the wide air duct. Then she herself hopped into the vent and swung the grate shut. A moment or two later, Itachi's thinly-disguised voice echoed over the intercom.

"Nurse Haruno to the execution chamber immediately…please." There was a click and the intercom went dead. Konan shook her head. Being polite had not killed Itachi after all, but it sounded as though it had certainly caused him physical pain.

Sakura was making her way back through that narrow hallway with eyes streaming when she heard her named booming over the intercom and echoing in the narrow space. Her heart lifted a little. That was surely Itachi's voice she had heard; it sounded as though the two Akatsuki members had been able to improvise a quick plan. She hurried to the execution chamber.

The door clicked shut behind her. Sakura's eyes darted around the room, but she was alone. For a moment she allowed herself to relax; for the first time she noticed how quickly her heart was beating. Then came the knock on the door.

"Er…Come in!" Sakura called.

There he was. The beautiful Deidara was dragged in, dripping blood on the floor. He felt his own heart flutter at the sight of Sakura, and it was too much for his broken body to bear. A fresh torrent of blood hit the floor. The men handling Deidara sneered in disgust and lifted Deidara onto the table in the centre of the room. Heavy leather straps were fastened around his wrist, ankles and torso.

"He's all yours." One of the men said and the two left, chuckling.

There was a moment of unbroken silence, and then Sakura hurled herself at the table. Choking back sobs, she tore at the straps and helped Deidara to sit up. Gasping, he reached feebly for her and she gladly swept him into an embrace. Sakura could feel his tears splattering on her shoulder. There were no words that could have described how she felt at that moment. Her instinct was to just hold Deidara, to feel how solid and real he was in her arms. Drawing back, she tilted his head back gently with her fingertips and pressed her pink lips to his bloody ones. Sakura tasted the salty sting of fresh blood mixed with the sweet flavour that was unmistakeably Deidara's. She had no control over herself anymore, her hands were stroking his matted hair, her fresh tears dripped onto his mangled face and she pressed deeper into the kiss.

"I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but we really must be going. I've killed a great number of people today and somebody is bound to notice eventually." came a sarcastic voice from behind them. Sakura reluctantly looked up at Itachi.

"This is a role reversal, isn't it? This time you get to be the weak, wounded one." Itachi drawled. Deidara grinned and slumped over on Sakura, exhausted. Itachi rolled his eyes and stpeed forward to carry his comrade, but Sakura had already slung him over her shoulders. With strength like she had never known before, Sakura bounded forward and hurtled into the ventilation duct. Sharp pings echoed through the metal crawlspace as her feet struck the floor at furious speeds. A subtler "whoosh" was the only noise that marked Itachi's passage.

Suddenly, fresh air hit Deidara like a brick wall. It was over. He was out. He was free.

**A/N: Ahhh, I just love happy endings. Too bad I'm not nearly done yet. Does anyone know what the chapter limit is on stories? I know I'm not even close to it yet, but I'm just wondering. **

**Sorry for another long wait, but I got distracted. Once you start playing Pokemon Platinum, the time just flies. **

**On another distraction-related note, my flash animation is coming along well. It's been sucking up a lot of my life, but it's going to be so worth it. I'll keep you all posted on that. **

**I can't promise you a quick update, but I will do my best. The homework just kills – anyone out there in the IB program will feel my pain. In the meantime, I recommend you find something to amuse yourself – I recommend you go creep "Fallen to Earth"'s Deviantart profile (paintforbrains). She's quite fantastic. Go look. **

**So, nothing left to do now but hit that charming little "review" button. Look at it. It's gorgeous. Hit it. Now. **


	21. Taken by Force

**Disclaimer: I am a delusional teenage girl, not a delusional Japanese man. I do not own Naruto. **

A/N: So here we are again. Let's get down to it. Hold on to your hats and prepare for some serious angst. Remember the rating on this story – young children, hit the "back" button now.

I had the interesting experience of becoming totally obsessed with the famous "My Immortal" fan fiction. It's going to take all of my strength "nut 2 tipe lik dis, PREPZ!". For those of you who don't understand the reference, don't even worry about it. If you do understand the reference, I recommend that you go look up the "My Immortal Drinking Game" – beware of alcohol poisoning.

As an added bonus, since you've all been so patient with my lazy updates, this chapter is going to be the longest one yet.

Without further ado – enjoy the story, GOFFS!

Itachi and Konan raced through the treetops on either side of Sakura, eying her nervously from time to time. Sakura didn't even notice – she was too busy concentrating on watching her step to prevent jostling the fragile creature slung over her shoulders. It took her a moment to realize that Itachi was speaking to her.

"We camp here." was all he said before plummeting down through the foliage. Konan snorted at his dramatic exit, and followed suit. Snapping out of her stupor, Sakura gently drifted through the branches back to earth. She landed a few feet away from the others, and settled her cargo on the ground without looking at either of them.

"It's okay now." She whispered to the trembling Deidara "You're all right now."

Sakura gently kissed his bloody forehead and swept a lock of stray hair behind his ear. She had to get that ring out of his nose. Closer inspection told her it would be difficult, not to mention painful. Dried blood was caked around the ring, and the flesh between his nostrils was swollen and red. Sakura dug out the medical kit she always carried and opened the leather satchel to reveal its contents. This was going to be the hardest surgery she had ever performed, not because of its difficulty but because of her patient.

First, painkillers. She eased a few pills down Deidara's throat, all the while staring into his big, trusting eyes. After a moment or two his eyelids began to droop and a weary grin broke out over his face. Now she had to begin; Sakura knew at once that she had no hope of breaking the ring – it had no seam and pulsed quietly with the chakra of some metal ninja who had crafted it. She would have to cut it out.

With painstaking precision, Sakura scraped off the dark, hardened blood. Then, taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, she balanced a blade on the underside of Deidara's nose and pushed it upwards through his flesh until it bit the hated ring. Stomach wrenching, Sakura tugged the metal device down and out, cringing at the buckling of damaged cartilage. Deidara let out a long whimper. Sakura could not afford time to comfort him, however. Her greatest concert was closing the new wound and stopping the torrents of fresh blood gushing out.

By the time she finished, Deidara was unconscious. Sakura stood up from his side to see Itachi and Konan staring at her from where they sat around a newly constructed fire. With her head held high, Sakura slung Deidara over her shoulder and carried him into the tent. If either Akatsuki saw the tears running down her face, they said nothing.

Inside the tent, the young medic gingerly laid her lover down and drew up the covers around his chin. This scenario was horribly familiar and happening all wrong. Half in a daze, Sakura was surprised to discover blood streaks where her fingers had touched the blanket.

She needed to wash up. It would make an excellent distraction, if anything else.

"I'm going to bathe. We passed a creek a few miles back." She announced to the two solemn figures sitting around the fire outside. Konan slowly looked Sakura up and down and nodded; the girl was covered in blood. Itachi cast his eyes to the sky – sunset was still a few hours away. He too, grunted his consent.

Without staying to discuss matter, Sakura took off into the bright afternoon light, headed for a relaxing bath in the stream.

Sasuke was closing in.

He hit the streets of the capital city around noon. The place had been turned upside down. Armed men combed the streets, women hurried their children indoors, and shopkeepers pulled down blinds and flipped over "OPEN" signs.

"What's going on?" He demanded, seizing a nearby civilian by the collar. The person, a young man, noted the crazed look in Sasuke's eyes and was quick to blurt out " There's been an escape. Some S-ranked criminal. Name of Deirdre or something like that. Blonde…thing, too many mouths. Stolen right from the execution chamber."

"Deidara…" Sasuke mused, dropping the young man who hurried off down the road. It had to have been Itachi. Only Itachi had the skill, only Itachi had a REASON to get that troublesome Akatsuki member back. Still lost in thought, Sasuke scaled the tallest building he could find and scanned the surrounding forest with red, spinning eyes.

There. It was faint, but he saw it. Felt it. A chakra trail, less than a day old. It was unmistakably from an Uchiha, with trace chakras of other people. Sasuke didn't waste time finding out who they belonged to – instead, he bolted off into the forest, slipping between branches at a pace that made his heart hammer and his lungs burn.

Sakura's journey was more leisurely. She leaped gracefully from tree to tree, minding her footing as she went. The panic of performing such an impromptu surgery was beginning to ebb. She had Deidara back. He was alive, and he was all hers. She would come back to camp tonight and he would be right there, right where she left him. She could check his wound and kiss him, if she wanted to. He would wake up and she could talk to him again. The reality of his return settled over her like a sunset and she found herself beginning to relax. At long last she came to the edge of the stream and set herself down on the warm, grassy bank.

The water burbled invitingly. Feeling very much at peace, Sakura removed her weapons belt. She kicked off her shoes and yanked off her socks. Then she slipped her hands under her shirt and slipped it off, over her head. All the while she had no idea she was being watched.

Sasuke was racing through the trees when he caught on to a very familiar chakra. He stopped, puzzled. He knew the chakra, knew it like he knew his own, but he could not place it. Intrigued and maddened, he tore himself off his brother's trail and headed for the source of this new lead. He could feel, deep down, that this person he was following was someone he wanted to see. A blurry picture started to form in his mind as he crept along in the bushes, a picture that came into focus just before the image before his very eyes did.

Sakura.

She was standing before him with her ivory skin gleaming in the afternoon sun. As he watched, she cast off her weapons and quickly began undressing. Sasuke felt something knot in the pit of his stomach at the sight of her increasingly revealed body. It was Sakura. The girl he had come to rescue. The one who had always loved him. Years of abuse in the dark dungeons of Orochimaru gnawed at Sasuke's insides, unleashing sick desire. She had devoted herself to him, thrown herself at him all those years ago. He had come all this way to just to retrieve her. He owed her. He owned her. It would be like payment. Besides, she wanted him. She wanted him. No one else had wanted him like her. He would be practically doing her a favor. He would make her wanted.

Riding on this broken train of logic, Sasuke crept forward, headed for Sakura's back just as she slid her shirt over her head. He tensed, and sprung forward through the air, wrapping a hand over her mouth.

Sakura felt the hand clap over her mouth and started to struggle. Her hand flew to her side, but she remembered with agony that she had tossed aside her weapons pouch only seconds ago. She fought bitterly against her captor, looking for a place to dig in fingernails, but a strong arm wrapped around and held her fast. It was not until her attacker turned her around that she stopped resisting.

Sasuke. Ghosts danced in his eyes and sunlight tangled in his dark hair, exactly as she remembered him. Her breath caught short, until she noticed the evil grin that robbed Sasuke's face of its poetry.

"Sasuke…what…" she managed to gasp around his fingers. His eyebrows lifted and he growled back to her "Shut up. I'm about to make your dreams come true."

Before she had time to panic, Sasuke released her arms just long enough for his hand to dart out and break the hook on the back of her bra. The cotton undergarment shot forward and he tore it away from her body with his teeth. Sasuke proceeded to shove his former teammate backwards, driving her back up against a tree. As he groped and pinched, she could only gasp quietly.

"You like that, huh?" Sasuke murmured, aggression staining his words. His eyes were wide with insanity and memories of abuse. He raked his nails down Sakura's side, leaving shallow scrapes in their wake; he clawed the top of Sakura's skirt and dragged it from her body. Tears started to well up in Sakura's eyes, but Sasuke allowed them no time to fall. Instead, he smashed his mouth into hers, prying her mouth open with his tongue. While she choked and spluttered on tears and hatred, he worked his hands under her cotton underpants and tore them away as well, oblivious to the elastic biting at Sakura's skin.

Sasuke pulled his mouth off of Sakura's soft pink one. Now it was his turn. In a primal frenzy, he seized her hands and forced them under his clothes. He guided her every movement as she was made to strip his own clothes from his body. Even when he was naked, Sasuke was still not satisfied. He was just getting started. Seizing her by the hair, he forced Sakura to her knees in front of him. She tried to thrown herself away from him, but he was too fast for her and held her head steady while he forced himself into her mouth. She tried to push herself away, tried to spit him out but one kick from Sasuke sent her into submission. Quickly, he lost patience with her, and tossed her onto her back.

Thinking it was over, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and pressed gently on the spot where he had kicked her. Her nightmare, however, was far from over. Sasuke flung himself on top of the girl and pinned her arms painfully over her head. She tried to cry out but her words were stopped by Sasuke's tongue sliding into her mouth. Just a short moment later, she felt him hammer into her.

Sakura lay there under Sasuke for what felt like an eternity. This had gone way beyond the fantasies of her girlhood. Her tears dripped on the grass and vanished, along with the last of her innocence. Sakura tried desperately to think of the night she had spent with Deidara but the was no comparison; that night was awkward and gentle, and nothing at all like the violence of this moment.

Sasuke showed no sign of stopping. With renewed vigor, he drew his lips from Sakura's and panted, trying to catch his breath. Sakura knew an opportunity when she saw one.

Summoning all the rage she possessed, Sakura let loose one long, loud scream.

**A/N: There you have it, my lovely readers. My longest, angstiest, most graphic chapter yet; my apologies if I offended anyone. Finally, Sasuke has storyline significance! I could cry. **

**My thanks to all of my readers and fans. If you've read this far, I have one more favor to ask of all of you. Right now, I'm in the process of constructing a sort of…online community for hopeless fangirls and internet geeks. You can find it at ".com". For all of you that would like to sign on and make an account, I would be eternally grateful. Check out my profile, or the site itself, for details. **

**I'm hoping to get the next update up soon, but with exam season rapidly approaching I can make no promises. Hopefully I have provided enough angst to tide you over till next time. **

**Ah. One last thing. That review button? Press it. Tell me how you felt about my rape scene; I dare you. **


	22. Clash of Steel on Brother

**Disclaimer: The delicious Deidara, and all of his co-stars sadly do not belong to me. I'll get over it one day.**

**A/N: Bad me! Bad! It's been a long time since this story saw an update… my sincere apologies to my readers, especially the 71 of you who have subscribed to story alerts! I feel so loved, guys… Now I guess I should start on that update…I owe you one.**

Birds mounted the dusky sky by the panicked dozen as a piercing cry shattered the still evening silence. A wounded Akatsuki was jarred from his blissful unconsciousness; from where he lay, Deidara could feel his dripping blood run cold. He knew those vocal cords, and he knew what the person they lived in was capable of. Nothing but the deadliest force could coax such a piercing scream from the strong kunoichi.

Desperately, Deidara struggled to sit up. His weak body baulked at the effort, and his vision went fuzzy around the edges, but he persisted, struggling against the blinding pain. He didn't even notice that Konan has entered the tent until her small white hand pressed him back down again.

"No." was all she could whisper to him.

Suddenly, the tent flap flew wide open, and Deidara was staring at the bottom of a black cloak whipping around two white-bound ankles. Even in his agony, Deidara had to admit that Itachi knew how to make an entrance.

Without a word, Itachi marched up to Deidara's side and hoisted the invalid onto his back. Konan made a noise of shock and protest, but Itachi paid her no mind. He strode right back out of the tent, heedless of the fresh blood now dripping onto his shoulder.

Deidara managed a weak smile of gratitude. Had he been in Itachi's place, he probably would have left exploding roses to comfort the wounded. Itachi shifted as he started to run towards the source of the sound, and Deidara felt his delicate hold on consciousness slip. He had to keep his eyes open…if only to see her one last time…

Sasuke shifted the hands holding Sakura's wrists to cup both of her willowy limbs under one of his palms. With arm freed now, he had a hand to clap firmly over Sakura's mouth, stifling her screams.

"What did you do that for? Isn't this what you always wanted?" He asked her flatly. Though his voice was a trained monotone drone, the hint of a sick grin twitched at the corners of his mouth. Scowling up at him, Sakura vigorously shook her head as best she could. Sasuke chuckled humourlessly.

"That's a shame, little cherry blossom. I'm not finished yet."

Sakura writhed with newfound disgust. She squirmed until her muscles ached, but Sasuke seemed not to notice. He was picking up speed and force, and the pain was tremendous. Hot tears, made of nothing but rage, streamed down her face and slid between Sasuke's fingers.

"Relax, little whore, you don't have to worry about bearing a child by me. I can see the blonde dog has implanted his already." Sasuke's eyes spun red as he surveyed his victim's slightly protruding belly. Sakura trembled with rage.

Then, suddenly, it wasn't just Sakura that was shaking.

The twigs overhead danced under the weight of two unseen intruders. Lowering his burden onto a sturdy branch, Itachi watched patiently as a single drop of his companion's blood plummeted earthward, hurtling towards the hellish scene below.

Sasuke felt something wet land on the top of his head. Temporarily removing his hand from Sakura's mouth, Sasuke groped at the liquid in his hair and brought his red-streaked fingers up to his face for closer examination. Blood. It had to be.

Sakura and Sasuke craned their heads up to see Itachi staunchly glaring down at them.

Sakura was overcome with elation until she realized, with a gasp, that the blood had to have come from somewhere; the head of shaggy blonde hair nestled in the treetop seemed a likely candidate. Sasuke's grip had weakened and she tried to sprint up the tree to Deidara's aid, but Sasuke's fist clenched around her pale wrist, wrenching her back to the ground.

Sasuke stood, slowly, feeling the bones of his childhood friend knitting in his iron grip. He never broke eye contact with his hated older brother. Even when Itachi crouched, sprung, and landed silently on the grass a mere metre away, Sasuke's eyes remained fixed on that familiar face.

The only sound was Sakura's desperate sobs, and the faint scrabbling of her fingernails against the bark of the tree. Itachi was the first to speak.

"Let her go, Sasuke. You've done enough damage here."

"You bastard! You're the one who's done damage! Filthy murderer!" Sasuke half-screamed, half-cried back at his brother. Itachi did not flinch.

"Sasuke, you fail to understand." Itachi calmly replied. Without so much as a word, he dashed forward and tore Sakura from his brother's grip.

"Consider putting your clothes back on." Itachi advised as he removed his cloak and draped it around Sakura's shoulders. Sasuke was too angry to respond.

"The things I've done… the things I've been…" Hysterical laughter bubbled up into his throat "all in preparation… I've waited for this moment…. You… die…you… DIE"

Sasuke lunged at his sibling, who knocked Sakura off her feet and sent her flying out of harm's reach. The clash of metal on metal followed a split second later.

"Don't you know why I did this, Sasuke? Do you even know why you are angry?" Itachi asked, looming over his brother's smaller form. Sasuke snarled something unintelligible and leapt away from his brother, scooping his weapons pouch off the ground as he went. Throwing stars hissed as they cut through the air, but made only a dull wooden 'thunk' when they collided with the log that had once been Itachi. A whoosh told Sasuke that he was stupid to use weapons against someone of Itachi's skill.

"Have you ever looked into the mirror at your own hideous red eyes? Ever wondered what they really are?" Came a murmur in Sasuke's ear. His brother was, as predicated, right behind him. Sasuke did the only thing he could think of; he swung, kunai in hand, at the voice and felt his stomach drop when the weapon was quickly wrenched away.

"This is it, then." Sasuke snarled quietly "You win. You get to finish what you started."

"I will." Itachi assured him "And I'll start by doing this."

Sasuke braced himself for the sting of cold metal slicing through his neck, but felt only a solid thump as the dagger landed in the grass at his feet.

"Wha…?" he started, but Itachi had his back pinned against the tree before Sasuke could move. Naked, weaponless and helpless, Sasuke could only stare, bewildered, into Itachi's sombre black eyes.

"Now, Itachi, I will finish my life's work. It ends here, with you and for me."

**A/N: I hope that was worth the wait! If you're really lucky, I might get another chapter up before the end of winter break. Keep your fingers crossed.**

**One other thing on the agenda – role-plays. Anyone out there like them? My friends and I have set one up, at pushback DOT proboards DOT com. Please, if you have a moment and you like to role play, check it out and consider joining. We would feel better about ourselves if you did. **

**And, of course, there's the matter of the delightful review button. Press it… you know you want to…. It's calling your name…**


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